Ashes to Ashes
by Lucenthia
Summary: A month after the breach in Vale, the Vytal Festival is about to kick off with a bang. But Cinder's meddling throws a wrench into the works, and as they hunt for her, Team RWBY start to doubt not only the people around them but themselves. Follow these girls as they say goodbye to the things they loved, the innocence of youth, and the solitude and peace they always knew.
1. Chapter 1

"For one hundred and twenty years, the four Kingdoms: Mistral, Vale, Vacuo and Atlas, have stood as pillars against the tide of darkness. And now we gather for the Vytal festival to celebrate that peace, won by sacrifice and determination alone. But we never forget the sacrifice our brethren paid for this peace, and when celebrating life, may we also remember the deaths that made ours possible."

General James Ironwood stood at the podium talking to hundreds of Hunters that had gathered from the four kingdoms for the Vytal festival. His straight back cast a long silhouette in the morning sun, along with the other three headmasters. To his left stood Ozpin, grey hair brushing the lids of thin spectacles that reflected the ruddy light of the sun. To Ozpin's left stood Aurum Vingthor, headmaster of Spire Academy. The lion Faunus' bushy beard was golden color of well baked bread, and his huge frame didn't hide the the even more massive hammer strapped to his back. To Ironwood's right stood Hilda Cyprium, headmaster of Haven. Her grey armor covered every inch of her body, save her head, and her blue eyes stared stonily at the gathered Hunter, as if she thought the Hunters were about to assault the podium.

Ironwood continued talking, but Ruby was bored. "He's been talking for fifteen minutes already." She resisted the urge to pull her red hood over her head as she slouched. "I thought we got to _fight_ in the Vytal festival."

"Show a little respect." Weiss hissed, "The Vytal festival has gone on for decades, starting after the Harbour Academy Uprising, and-"

"Blah, blah, blah, I'm Weiss, the fountain of knowledge!" Ruby mimicked, "I know all about history because I'm a Schnee, and we Schnee's-"

But Ruby fell silent as Glynda's purple eyes found her own. She fidgeted for a bit, secretly hoping Yang would pay attention to her. Unfortunately, her sister's attention was focused on everything else. "Hey, Ruby! Did you see that? I think that was a tiger Faunus from Vacuo!"

"You get a lot of different varieties down there." Weiss said, "What with Headmaster Vingthor relaxing Faunus restriction laws in the past few years."

Ruby looked to Blake, the unofficial authority on Faunus, but the cat Faunus had her amber eyes trained on Ironwood like a sniper. She frowned, accentuating the bags under her eyes.

"Hey, Blake, lighten up." Yang said, "You act like Ironwood's telling us his plans for world domination or something."

"I just hate how he's taken over for Ozpin." Blake muttered, "It gives me a bad feeling."

"That's what you said about Zwei." Ruby said.

"I had to wrestle it for my bow!" Blake said.

"Zwei's a _he_." Ruby said, "And-"

"Whatever Zwei is," Blake cut off Ruby, obviously thinking of many unpleasant words to describe their dog Zwei, "Ironwood's acting like we're soldiers."

""People are scared," Weiss said, "Maybe Ironwood's what we need-"

"Don't get me started on that again." Blake said, "Ever since Ironwood took over a month ago-"

"Yeah, yeah, we've all heard it." Ruby sighed, "And sure, maybe the curfews and random checkpoints are inconvenient, but it's going to make it harder for people like Torchwick to get past."

"People like Torchwick aren't going to be stopped by curfews!" Blake's voice rose and instinct led her hand to finger the grip of Gambol Shroud

The four fell silent as Glynda glared at them once again, mostly because they had already argued this exact point several times in the month between the breach in Vale and the Vytal festival.

Luckily, Ironwood's speech about vigilance and solidarity in the face of the unknown had come to a close. Unfortunately, it was followed by a few hours for visiting Hunters to socialize. In her element, Weiss went off to make polite small talk with students from Mistral. Yang had caught up with Sun and Neptune, and were already laughing with different Faunus from Vacuo like they were best friends. Judging by the way Sun had his arm around another monkey Faunus, they probably were.

Ruby started to feel claustrophobic as she was jostled this way and that. Stalls had been set up by merchants, who had prepared themselves for the big inflow of foreign Hunters. Ruby winced as hawkers yelled in her ear to buy whatever trinkets they were selling. Even Blake was nowhere to be seen. Lately, she had taken to disappearing for hours at a time before slinking back to her room.

" _I just have a bad feeling."_ Blake had said. Her instincts were usually good, although after the fire extinguisher incident with Zwei, Team RWBY's faith in Blake's animal instincts had diminished slightly.

Someone from behind pushed Rwby into a Hunter from Atlas, judging by his austere shirt that looked like a soldier's uniform. He smiled down at Ruby and said, "This is a nice place. You from around here?"

Ruby nodded, wishing Yang were here.

"This is actually my first time to Vale." The student laughed. He linked his arm around Ruby, who wriggled out of his grip.

"Look, um, sorry to bail, but I'm actually supposed to be meeting my friends." Ruby waved vaguely in the direction behind her and shuffled through the crowd. She might not be able to use her Semblance to dash away from the weird student in the crowd, but she could use her small frame to slip past the Hunters.

She stumbled inside the grounds of Beacon with a sigh of relief. She didn't know how Yang could always be so _happy_ around strangers. Still trying to shake off the after effects of the crowd, Ruby slipped past the main entrance doors, only to find Emerald and Mercury lounging inside. Mercury's eyes narrowed as he stood up and made his way over to Ruby. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be outside?"

"Yeah, well, parties aren't my thing." Ruby sighed. She and her team hadn't gotten to know Emerald, Mercury and Ember well. The three students would attend classes but left the instant they ended, and were only seen again in the dining hall. Ember was particularly reclusive, despite several Hunters being enamored with her graceful figure.

"Well, hang out here," Mercury said, "We wanted to get away from old Ironhead's talking." He was leaning against one of the pillars that held up the huge hall, and stared at one of the entrances to the hall as he spoke. "I feel bad that I barely know your name after a month."

"It's okay," Ruby said, "I might just go to my room. But thanks. Hope you guys enjoy the festival."

"Uh, you can't." Emerald quickly stepped beside Ruby, "Oobleck went in a few minutes ago, he might catch you wandering around."

"I saw Oobleck outside just now." Ruby's hand drifted to Crescent Rose. "Is something wrong? Where's Ember?" The third member of their team was nowhere to be seen. Ruby normally wouldn't complain. The woman would sometimes stare at her as if she was contemplating grisly torture. But something in the back of the mind was urging her to find out what was amiss.

"Oh, she's outside." Mercury said, metal boots clanking as he strolled towards Ruby. "Most people are."

"But you guys aren't." Ruby was well aware of the way Emerald and Mercury flanked her on both sides, and was also aware of their rapid flow of Aura. She walked quicker, and luckily, Emerald and Mercury didn't try to keep up.

"Well, parties aren't our thing either." Mercury called out. He had his hand gripping Emerald's arm, who seemed to be glaring at Ruby. The two retreated to their original posts and they took out their scrolls. Not stopping to see why they were acting so aggressive, Ruby continued walking to her room.

She couldn't wait to play with Zwei by herself a little. Not that she felt like begrudging the rest of her team the pleasure, but when Tai Yang had first gotten Zwei, it had been Ruby who had fed and spoiled him. It would be just the thing she needed after all the stress of, well, _people_.

That was when Ruby was rendered immobile by a deafening alarm that sent vibrations resonating through her body and made her stumble back into the ornate corridors.

" _An alarm rarely sounds in Beacon, because there is usually not too much that can surprise us."_ Ozpin had once said with a small smile. He had been addressing the new students on safety procedures in Beacon. _"We expect you Hunters to be decisive and solve problems yourself while in Beacon. However, if you ever do hear an alarm, it means there has been a breach in our deepest vaults, and if this is the case, you are all to make your way to the grounds outside as quickly as possible and gather in teams. Is that clear?"_

A breach in the vaults. Ruby dashed towards them immediately in a whirlwind of rose petals. All the while the alarm that shot through her head made her stumble and crash into walls as she ran towards the breach in security.

She skidded to a halt as she saw a black figure dash past her. She whirled around, firing Crescent Rose at the figure, but by the time she had time to aim, the shadow was gone. Ruby's crouched low, then felt Aura channel through her body as she emitted her Semblance. In seconds, she emerged back into the main hall breathless, but no one, including Mercury and Emerald, were to be seen.

"Halt!" A strident voice that could be heard even over the alarm stopped Ruby in her tracks.

"Uh oh." Ruby muttered. She shrank back as a platoon of Atlasian robots trained their guns on her. More marched past them, and the rapid clanging of their footsteps slowly faded along with the alarm.

"What do you think you are doing, girl!" Hilda roared. She and her elite team of warriors, team VALKYRIE, were close behind her. Ruby looked around and saw Aurum with his handpicked warriors that comprised of the Vacuo Zodiacs.

"I… I was just trying to go to my room when the alarm sounded." Ruby squeaked. The floor seemed to tremble as Hilda strode over to Ruby. She walked with such vehemence that Ruby wouldn't be surprised if each step dented the floor. Ruby backed away into a wall of Atlasian guards and Hilda gripped Ruby's shirt and lifted her a foot off the ground.

"Put her down, Hilda." Ozpin's quiet voice made Hilda whip her head around. Her shoulder length blond hair didn't cover her blue eyes that seemed to drill holes through Ozpin.

"You know what's at stake, Ozpin." Hilda hissed, "You of all people-"

"Are _you_ trying to lecture _me_ about what's at stake?" Ozpin asked, "I taught all of you what was at stake."

Ruby looked around desperately for friends, but the horde of curious Hunters had been forestalled by a barricade formed by the Atlasian airships and troops. Ironwood stood at the front, telling all Hunters to keep calm and remember their training.

"You taught us, yet we see your fortress being breached?" The restrained rage behind Hilda's voice made Glynda's reprimands sound tame. The plate armor around her back held the sheaths to nine gladiuses. Two of them slid out by themselves and hovered beside Hilda's gauntlet, which was still clutching Ruby's skirt.

"Look, I swear I didn't do anything." Ruby said, "I was running towards the vaults when-"

"You WHAT? Hilda yelled.

"Let her go." Ozpin's cane rested lightly on Hilda's gauntlet, but the woman let Ruby go instantly. Ruby crashed to the ground, and Ozpin knelt in front of her. He took off his spectacles and stared intently at Ruby. "Were you aware that standard protocol when hearing an alarm like this is to rush outside?"

Ruby nodded, staring at the ground. She listened as Ozpin continued. "I suppose when you realized there had been a breach in security you ran to stop the intruder."

Ruby nodded again.

"Look at me, Ruby." Ozpin's gentle voice coaxed Ruby to look at her headmaster. "I will believe you this time." As he spoke, Ruby felt her heart squirm in her chest. His Aura was far more subtle than Hilda and Aurum's, but it felt as vast and inexorable as the sky. "But if I find you are responsible, knowingly or unknowingly, for another transgression of this magnitude, repercussions will be swift and severe."

Ruby gulped and nodded meekly. The pressure Ozpin exerted on her lifted, and she was able to breath normally again. As Ozpin walked away from her, he left her with one last parting message. "Forces greater than you can imagine are at work here, Ruby, and if you treat us like you treated Torchwick, you and your team will find yourselves in places far worse than the prison Torchwick is in now."

Ruby stayed seated on the ground while Hilda and Aurum left, talking vehemently with Ozpin. "You are letting the girl go?" Hilda was asking, "Ironwood told me that you had grown soft, but-"

"Hah! Trust in our leader, Hilda!" Aurum bellowed, clapping Hilda on the armored shoulder, "Ironwood always did worry too much!"

"But this is not some trivial matter like the White Fang," Hilda called after him, "More than a century of civilization…" Hilda's voice trailed off as the three headmasters walked into Beacon's courtyard. Hesitantly, Ruby got to her feet, and when Atlasian guards didn't train their guns on her, she slowly crept away from them and out the main hall.

Hunters from Atlas patrolled the grounds and courtyard, but no one from Vale were to be seen. Taking a deep breath, Ruby sidled up to a girl wearing the grey uniform of Atlas and asked, "Hey, I don't mean to bother you, but where are the Hunters from Vale?"

"Securing a perimeter around Vale." Came the terse response.

"Right, okay, did you see-" Ruby started to say, but the girl from Atlas had already walked past her.

She sighed and ran her fingers along the grooves and rivets of Crescent Rose. Weapons were so much easier to deal with than people, and nowhere near as scary. She shivered as she remembered the intense pressure Ozpin had exerted on her. Suddenly his calm and almost passive exterior seemed like the assuredness of success. Who needed to panic or exert strength when victory was inevitable?

She took a deep breath and tried to banish thoughts of how tense the headmasters had been. She ran towards the wall and, channeling her own Aura, dashed to the top, leaving her usual handful of rose petals that scattered over the grounds of Beacon, now teeming with Atlasian soldiers and Hunters. She jumped and ran over the roofs of buildings, trying to find anyone she recognized.

It didn't take long.

"Ruby!" Ruby was able to gather enough Aura into her body to brace herself before she was tackled to the ground by Yang, who was clutching her so tight Ruby's vision was blurring. It was only after she vigorously tapped Yang's shoulder several times that Yang let go of her. "Where have you been? What happened? Why did you just-"

"Yang, don't freak out." Ruby made placating gestures with her hands. "But, uh, well, I was sort of in Beacon when the alarm went off, and I had to explain myself to Ozpin."

 _Forces greater than you can imagine are at work here._

"But everything was sorted out." Ruby continued. "So everything's okay." She gave a tentative smile as Yang put her hands on her hips and regarded her in the same way as she had when Ruby had insisted that the kids teasing her at Signal Academy 'didn't mean it'.

"I promise that's all that happened." Ruby held Yang's hand and rested her head on Yang's shoulder. "I swear, okay?"

"Well, okay." Yang patted Ruby's head. "Just don't keep stuff from me, okay?"

 _If you treat us like you treated Torchwick, you and your team will find yourselves in places far worse than the prison Torchwick is in now._

"Yeah, of course not." Ruby lied. "Everything's fine."

* * *

 **Wow, it's been a while since I've posted anything here. Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed it! And if you didn't, then please tell me what you didn't like about it. And if you did like it, then any sort of feedback would be much appreciated as well.**

 **Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Hiyah!" Yang shouted as she sank Ember Celica into the gut of an Ursa. "Alright!" She looked around to see the rest of team RWBY and CRDL sheathing their weapons. "Once more, Vale Hunters save the day!"

Russel Thrush rolled his eyes at Yang, but everyone had gotten used to Yang's exuberance, despite everything that had happened in the last few weeks. Cardin muttered something about Yang being an immature little girl, but kept his comments to himself. Three weeks of intense searching and constant attacks on Grimm had made him rethink his priorities. He was now willing to accept, among other things, that Faunuses made just as good Hunters as humans did.

Blake saving Sky Lark from a Deathstalker also helped.

"Let's go." Cardin muttered, and the eight of them trudged back to their temporary camp. Yang leapt over a boulder covered in red moss, crunching on small black leaves. She hated how they always returned in silence, especially after beating off a horde of Ursa like today. But even her own team just gave unresponsive shrugs whenever she cracked a joke, or tried to make conversation.

 _"We're just not in the mood."_ Blake would say. Weiss had gotten so used to living rough that she had even stopped complaining about what seemed like the most pointless mission since Vacuo had tried to repopulate the desert almost two decades ago.

But that wasn't going to stop Yang. She trotted up to Ruby and said, "Nice job with those Ursa. They aren't going to stand a chance against us."

"They're not what we need to worry about." Ruby mumbled.

That was more than Yang had gotten out of Ruby in the entire trip. Her eyes widened as she leaned in close. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing!" Ruby said quickly. "I was just talking about the stuff Ozpin said to us the day before he sent us here."

 _"Right now, a crisis looms before us,"_ Ozpin had said. It was the day after the alarms in Beacon had been triggered. He stood with his back straight and both hands resting on his cane as usual, but his calm demeanour did nothing to relieve the tension and fear in the atmosphere.

 _"The Faunus Rights Revolution, the Raider Rebellions, the Great War, Remnant has never been in as much danger as it is now."_ Rwby gripped the hem of Yang's jacket in apprehension while Blake and Weiss both stared intently at Ozpin. The headmaster waved his hand and an image of the woman everyone had thought was called Ember flickered behind him.

 _"This woman is known as Cinder. She is an ex-hunter, and, until recently, was thought to be dead along with the rest of her team."_ Images of three other people flickered on the wall behind Ozpin, each with their names on the bottom.

C. Cinder Fall. The picture was outdated, but her amber eyes and curled black hair undoubtedly belonged to the person Yang had thought was called Ember.

N. Neopolitan Torte. Yang's jaw dropped as she and the rest of her team stared silently at each other. So _that_ was where Torchwick had gotten such a strong henchwoman. Her fists clenched as she imagined punching Neo in her smug face.

D. Douglas Ember. A boy with a square jaw and cropped orange hair stared back sullenly at Yang. Luckily, this one hadn't beaten her up before.

R. Ronald Ember. This boy was clearly Douglas' brother. They shared the same orange hair, although Ronald's hair was shoulder length and he was grinning at the camera.

 _"Students from Mistral, Atlas and Vacuo will return to their respective schools."_ Ozpin said, _"Your headmasters will brief you in your missions once you arrive. Students from Beacon will attempt to find any of these four individuals. If you have any further information, please come to my office."_

 _"Wait, what happened to the festival?"_ Yang had asked.

As if Ozpin had heard her, he had said, _"The headmasters offer their profuse apologies, but in light of the severe situation we have been put in, the Vytal Festival this year will be cancelled."_

Tumult reigned as students started yelling at Ozpin. Yang remembered asking loudly, _"Why don't you tell us what's going on?"_ Beside her, Nora had yelled, _"Boooo! Oobleck for new headmaster!"_

As Ren had wrestled with Nora to stop her from charging to the stage, the hundreds of Hunters seemed to be on the verge of a full protest. He and the other headmasters had then stepped forward and emitted their Auras. They hadn't aimed it at the Hunters, but simply let their collective power disperse into the air like fog.

Yang hadn't felt the full effects, as she and her team had been standing at the back of the main hall. But even she felt a weight rest down on her body, and the will to protest drained out of her.

 _"Once again, we offer our apologies."_ Ozpin had continued once silence had been enforced. _"I told you all when you first came here that you were to be warriors. When you first came, you had energy that needed to be directed, ambitions not thought out. But now, in the face of danger, I believe every one of you will rise to the challenge. No longer are you children. As you leave this hall, know that I believe you all have the potential to be true Hunters, defenders of Remnant. Do not let me down."_

With that, Ozpin had left, leaving the other teachers to usher students out of the hallways. The day after, all teams had received orders to scour the wilderness for team CNDR.

"Hey, blondie, we're almost here." Cardin's voice brought Yang out of her memories. "Why don't you and the rest of your team quit zoning out?"

"Yeah, if we weren't around, you guys might've gotten ambushed." Lark added.

"Don't worry about us." Yang said, although she couldn't deny that team RWBY hadn't been paying attention. She looked at Ruby's distracted expression, and decided to deal with it another time.

The two teams walked between dull and colorless tree trunks, and team CRDL's armored boots stepped on tree roots that were as pale as Weiss' clothes.

A faint rustling made all eight of them draw their weapons, but then Nora jumped out of a tree. "Hey, strangers! How's the perimeter doing?"

"Only a few Grimm around here." Ruby said, "And we took care of them."

"What are you doing out here?" Cardin asked, a little too aggressively for Yang's taste.

"Watch duty!" Nora crowed, "You see, we had gotten most of the immediate perimeter secure, it's easy when you've got me and Pyrrha to do all the heavy work, and then Ren decided to start cooking, since it was getting late, but Jaune still wanted to stay alert, so me and her are on watch duty, making sure-"

"Yeah, yeah, I didn't need to hear your entire life story." Cardin grunted. "Don't know what Jaune's thinking, letting you and Pyrrha out on your own." He muttered something about fake transcripts, but gulped and flinched when Nora hefted Magnhild in her hand.

"Just shout if something comes up, okay?" Yang said. The rest of team RWBY walked beside her towards the river where they had set up camp.

"Yup That's my job!" Nora said, "And just for Ren, I'll make a sound like a sloth, you know? Because I finally figured out what a sloth-"

"Look, girlie," Cardin said, "Just do your job and don't die, got it?"

Nora nodded and he followed team RWBY, grumbling insults under his breath at team JNPR in general.

The odd thing was, Yang could almost believe Cardin meant what he had said to Nora. They weren't friends, but Yang had stopped looking over her shoulder whenever they fought together.

The two teams emerged into the clearing, where Ren and Jaune were squatting in front of a large pot of stew simmering over a fire. Three tents stood erect behind them. "Hey, you're just in time." Jaune waved them over. "I'm just going to put some aside for Pyrrha and Nora."

"How was camp duty?" Yang asked. "Had a nice nap while we were out clearing Grimm in the area?"

"Hey, I'll have you know that setting up camp is an essential task, just as important as fighting Grimm." Jaune said.

"It was fine, although getting Nora to stop using Magnhild to hammer tent pegs in was taxing." Ren added, spooning out some of the soup that had been boiling and handing it out. Jaune gave them some hard jerky and harder bread to go with it.

"Great, another delicious meal." Dove grumbled, but took his share and sat down with Cardin anyways.

"Thanks for doing this." Ruby smiled at Jaune.

"JNPR got camp duty anyways. It's what I was supposed to do as well."

"It's also the _only_ thing you can do." Lark muttered.

Yang sprang to her feet. "Hey, if you have a problem with Jaune, maybe you should just come out and say it."

"It's a pity that it's Jaune's team who wants to keep it a secret." Lark retorted.

Yang's vision became tinted with red, and she took a step forward when Cardin stepped between them. "Look, just let it go. It's not worth fighting over." He turned to Lark and said, "And I'll thank _you_ not to start anything. This mission sucks enough already"

Lark grunted and flopped back down and the ground, slowly spooning the stew into his mouth. Ruby had been tugging at Yang's leather jacket, and Yang sat down as well. "I guess we're all just stressed from being out in the field for three weeks."

"Yeah, if you ask me, Ozpin's crazy." Cardin said.

"Hey, if you think you can do a better job at headmaster, why don't you volunteer?" Weiss asked scathingly, "I'm sure you'd do _so_ much better."

"Cardin's got a point, actually." Jaune spoke up from beside the pot of stew, causing everyone to stare at him incredulously. "What? I'm not allowed to agree with Cardin once in a while just because he bullied and blackmailed me, then almost got us killed by an Ursa afterwards?"

He paused. "Okay, that sounded a lot better in my head." He smiled tentatively at Cardin, who was glaring at him. "But Cardin's right about Ozpin. If we really wanted to find members of team CNDR, why did he send us out here to look for her? Why would any of them run out into the wilderness?"

"Well, that's because we've cut off all of their options." Weiss said, "Ozpin's enforced border controls, meaning nobody travels in or out of the city without permits. Every single airship is being inspected by the Atlasian soldiers Ironwood left behind. That means the only other option is for these fugitives to come out here."

"But don't you think he's been acting a bit strange?" Jaune asked, "It's a huge risk sending us out here. And remember mobilization orders? We work in individual teams for five days, scanning the wilderness, then meet up with two other teams only for a bit to recover. He'd never send first years out on their own before."

"Ozpin's just under stress." Weiss said, "You would be too if the fate of Remnant hangs in the balance."

Yang and Blake exchanged knowing glances, remembering what had happened when they told Ozpin about Neo. Yang didn't know if Ozpin had been stressed or just determined to bring Cinder to justice.

 _"Why did you not tell us this before?"_ Ozpin had said in a deliberate voice. His quiet tone couldn't hide the intensity behind his voice. Yang and Blake had shrank back in their chairs as Ozpin got up from his and walked to the window by his office. Ironwood and Glynda flanked him, and were also looking at Yang and Blake carefully.

 _"I guess we thought Torchwick was more important."_ Yang said, _"Neo looked like his assistant."_

 _"From now on, any contact with anyone suspicious comes through me."_ Ozpin said. He swung his cane back and forth in time with his footsteps. _"Ironwood was right. I've been too passive. First I let Cinder appear under my very nose, then they send Neopolitan after my students."_

 _"You haven't been too passive."_ Glynda said, _"You're overreacting."_

 _"I should have known team CNDR would escape. Especially after Raven left Qrow on his own."_ Ozpin was now muttering to himself now, completely ignoring his students. He turned to Ironwood and asked, _"Is Qrow's allegiance assured?"_

 _"I have heard nothing to the contrary."_ Ironwood said. He turned to Yang and Blake and said, _"I apologize for this. The recent theft was very… personal to Ozpin. You may leave."_

"Yeah, Ozpin will be back to normal by the time we get back." Yang said, more to herself than to Cardin. "It'll all work out."

"Yeah, and maybe we can all ride unicorns into the sunset." Cardin retorted.

"Look, we have to trust Ozpin." Weiss said, "He's never let us down before. Just because his orders are a little weird doesn't mean they're bad."

"Right." Yang said, "Maybe there's just something he's not telling us. Besides, Glynda's around too. She hasn't gone all cuckoo over this mess."

"Great, we're all saved." Cardin grumbled. But he didn't put up any protest, and he and his team went into their own tents. "Wake us up when it's our turn for watch." He kept the door open because the temperatures inside the tent made everyone sweat. The thick canvases didn't give much ventilation.

"Well, that was another fun-filled evening." Weiss muttered.

"Well, let's look on the bright side." Yang said, "The longer we're out here, the better we get at killing Grimm. Maybe they'll give us extra credit when this is all over."

"There was a break-in at Beacon that unnerved someone like Ozpin, and you're thinking about extra credit?" Blake asked incredulously. "School doesn't really matter in the long run."

"Well, it's better than thinking about how we might all die tomorrow." Yang said, "Remember that herd of Ganeshi we had to run past?"

"I think we'll all remember running from huge elephant Grimm for a while." Blake said.

Yang rolled her eyes. "You guys always have to look on the downside! It'll be a great story to tell the next students at Beacon." Yang looked over at Ruby, who had been silent the whole time. She would spend most nights staring into the fire and zoning out. Yang missed seeing Ruby smile, or just hearing her call out her name. "Hey, Ruby? What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just tired."

"That's what you said the last time, and I know you were thinking about something then."

"It was nothing."

"Ruby, come on." Yang smiled despite the feeling of indignation welling up inside her and tried tugging on Ruby's arm playfully.

"I'm fine, Yang. Really." Ruby refused to look at Yang, and it was that, more than anything, that made Yang stand up.

"No." Yang said forcefully. Ruby was many things, but never dishonest. It seemed… wrong. She was too innocent for it, too young for it. She never lied or kept secrets. Until now.

"What?" Ruby swiveled sharply to face Yang.

"No." Yang felt her aura churning with her feelings as she felt blood rising to her face. "I'm sick of this."

"What are you talking about?" Ruby's voice rose even higher as she raised her hands in front of her to placate Yang.

"You used to tell me what was going on!" Yang said, "I used to protect you! But now you're not even telling your entire _team_ what's going on."

Images of Ruby growing up flashed through Yang's mind. Yang daring an eight year old Ruby to climb a tree, then running with tears in her eyes to get dad when Ruby fell and twisted her ankle. Ruby crouching behind a rotten tree trying not to giggle as they played hide-and-seek. Ruby tottering on high heels as she staggered into the school dance at Beacon. Ruby's features hadn't changed since then, but a frown now replaced eyes widened in comical discomfort, and she looked like she was carrying a burden far heavier than their camping gear.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Yang." Ruby said. She hesitated, then said, "I turned sixteen a few days ago. And you guys are almost eighteen, right? Legally adults and all that."

"I'm so sorry we missed your birthday!" Yang said. She tried to give Ruby a hug, but Ruby shrugged her off. "Yang! I'm just trying to say that I'm not a kid anymore, and you shouldn't be treating me like one."

"Aw, you'll always be my baby sister!" Yang ruffled Ruby's hair. "And it doesn't matter how old you get, I'll always look out for you, 'kay?"

"Yeah, I guess." Ruby rewarded Yang's efforts with a small smile. Yang tried to give Ruby a hug again, but Ruby squirmed away.

"Can we finally get some sleep now that the family drama's over?" Lark yelled from inside his tent.

"Sorry!" Ruby replied. "I think we should all get some rest."

"Agreed." Weiss said whole-heartedly.

Team RWBY got to their feet while Ren and Jaune got busy cleaning out the cooking equipment in the nearby stream. Blake silently scampered into the tent, and Weiss followed. Yang looked at Ruby questioningly, but Jaune cut in, "Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to Ruby for a second?"

"Um, sure." Ruby said, "Does it have anything to do with cleaning up?"

"No, it's not that." Jaune said, "It's, uh, something I kind of want to say in private."

"Is this something I should be hearing?" Ren asked.

"I'd sort of prefer not, but only if that's okay with you and Ruby."

Both Hunters shrugged and nodded. Yang looked suspiciously after Jaune, but decided to let him go. If he didn't have such an obvious and large crush on Pyrrha, Yang would have loaded Ember Celica and given him a talking to that made her previous outbursts look as tame as the dying coals in the campfire.

Jaune lugged the pot that he had cooked stew in with the metal plates clanking inside. Ruby walked behind him with her hand on Crescent Rose, ears on the alert for sounds of oncoming Grimm. The chances that she would hear anything over the clanking sound of the pots were low, but it was better than nothing.

When they reached the stream several metres away from the campsite, Jaune said, "You don't need to wash the dishes. Just keep a lookout."

"So why did you call me here?" Ruby asked. "I didn't take you for the type to keep secrets."

"Well, here's the thing." Jaune said, "I'm sort of, well, scared."

Ruby blinked and said, "Yeah, we're all on edge."

"No, _you_ guys are on edge." Jaune said, "But the thing is, there are times when I'm a little, well, terrified." He looked away and concentrated on scrubbing the pots, looking determinedly into their black depths. "You're not the only one who hasn't gotten much sleep." Jaune gave Ruby a weak smile and nodded at the wrinkles around Ruby's eyes. "It's just that I worry about my team. I mean, I'm supposed to be their leader, but I can barely fight. It's pretty much Pyrrha, Nora and Ren doing everything."

"You guys have been fine so far, right? It can't be that bad." Ruby said, though she knew the weight of responsibility that sometimes settled in her stomach like a cold stone.

"It's not like this is too hard for them normally." Jaune said, "But it's just the "what if," you know? Like, what if they get careless just once, or what if we get ambushed by huge Grimm even Pyrrha can't take down? Or what if-"

"I don't know, okay?" Ruby said, "It's like we're supposed to act like graduates already. And I just don't get what's going on? We don't even know what was stolen."

Jaune had finished scrubbing the pot and moved onto the dishes. "Sorry for doing this. I guess I didn't really know what to expect. Do you remember when we first got to Beacon, and you said that if we fail as leaders, we'll be bringing them down with us?"

Ruby had actually forgotten, but now the memory came back to her. "Yeah. I also said that your team deserved a good leader, and I thought you were it."

"Do you still think that now?"

"Yeah." The answer came without hesitation, and it replaced Jaune's morose frown with a look of surprise.

"You still think so?"

Ruby grinned and abruptly pulled Crescent Rose from its place on her waist and fired at Jaune. He yelped and rolled out of the way, raising his shield to deflect another volley of bullets. "What was that for?"

"Nice reflexes." Ruby grinned. "And your shield isn't even dented. You've gotten better at using Aura."

"You did it just to show me that I can deflect bullets?" Jaune asked, "Ruby, that's not what I'm worried about."

"But you're getting better." Ruby said, "When you first came, you wouldn't even have touched your shield in time. In another year, who knows?"

"But-"

"Look, you're already a leader." Ruby put Crescent Rose back where it belonged. "You've already got what it takes. You're the only one that doesn't realize that."

She sat down on a boulder a few metres away. "Clean up and let's get out of here."

Jaune did so and they went back into their respective tents. Ruby flopped down on her mat, feeling better after talking with Jaune. She knew Yang was still lying awake, because she snored slightly when she was actually asleep. But luckily Yang didn't want to continue their argument instead of getting some good sleep.

Ruby wouldn't say she slept well, but she slept. And so did the rest of her team, the day's arguments buried behind them.

* * *

 **Okay, so that's the next chapter. Again, please tell me what you think. Is it easy to read? Am I going to slow or too fast? Any feedback at all would help me. Thanks!**

 **And I hope you enjoyed it as well!**


	3. Chapter 3

"You'd better not die before we meet up again next week." Cardin said. He gave Jaune a punch in the arm that was almost friendly. He and his team had put on their backpacks and were heading out. His assigned route took them across the sharp ridgelines of nearby mountains. Team RWBY would be following the streams up gentle hills which eventually led to the mountains CRDL would be surveying, while JNPR would continue searching the forest they were currently in. The next rendezvous point was further up a valley, around a hundred kilometres from their current campsite.

"Same goes for you guys." Yang said, "The atmosphere of mutual tolerance around a campfire sure makes a girl appreciate her allies."

Cardin gave a small wave in the general direction of team RWBY before heading off. Their armored boots left deep impressions in the black soil as they left. Yang looked around with her hands on her hips. "Well, hope you guys are still alive next time we see you."

"You too." Pyrrha said. "It's been nice working with you the past few days."

With that, team RWBY waved goodbye to team JNPR and started walking towards a valley in the distance. The four walked in usual formation. Weiss took point with Ruby and Yang behind her looking around them to make sure they weren't ambushed from the side. Blake was rearguard, using all of her heightened senses to prevent an attack from behind.

They walked in silence, aware that unnecessary noise would distract them and attract Grimm. They hiked farther upstream and the trees that had shaded them from the sun thinned until they were walking on the side of a rocky hill with tufts of grass poking out.

"Alright, time for some lunch." Yang said. She had found a flat rock in the middle of the hill. She set her bag down pulled out her supplies. Beside her, Ruby seemed to disappear as she flopped down into foot-tall grass.

"You know, I have to agree with Cardin." Weiss said. She had taken off her trainers, once white but now stained brown with use. She had abandoned her high heels within a few days out in the wilderness. "It doesn't exactly seem likely that someone from team CNDR is going to come waltzing over that mountain."

"Look, Ozpin was always a little weird." Yang said. "But he's protected Vale for decades. My dad and uncle Qrow love him. What do you think, Blake?"

Blake looked up in surprise. Nowadays she barely spoke. "I think there isn't anything we can do about Ozpin now, so there's no point worrying about it."

"Have you heard anything from team SSSN?" Yang asked, "How are things over in Haven."

"All communications between Kingdoms have been blocked, remember?" Blake said. "It's like we're at war with each other."

"According to Ozpin, it's bigger than any war we've seen." Weiss said. Weiss' reminder brought about a melancholy silence for the rest of their short meal. Ruby, as usual, finished first and spent the rest of her rest indiscriminately slicing at the grass with her scythe. By the time team RWBY headed out again, there were overlapping circles where the grass was completely cut to the ground.

The next time they stopped was when they saw smoke.

The sun was setting and they were looking for a campsite when they rounded a bend in a hill and saw several campfires. Yang grinned at her team and said, "That must be one of the nomad settlements Port was talking about!"

"Oh, really? I thought it was part of the Atlasian Millitary." Weiss rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide the small smile that played around her lips.

"Maybe they'll give us a place to stay." Yang said, walking briskly towards the encampment. The others picked up the pace at the prospect of food that hadn't been carried around in their packs for weeks.

As they entered the encampment, a man dressed in a leather vest and a pair of fur shorts. His skin was wrinkled but looked tough. He held onto a spear and said, "Our clan leader will question you."

"Well, that was quick." Yang said to no one in particular.

"We've seen your like before." The man responded. Shrugging, team RWBY started walking towards a tent that looked exactly like the others: large brown canvas teepees. They entered to see a thin woman with steel grey hair. "More Hunters, I see."

"You've met some of us before?"

"Aye, as did my predecessor, as did his." The clan leader said, "My name is Kedinn."

Team RWBY introduced themselves, after which Ruby stepped forward. "We've been looking for four people. We were wondering if they might have passed by."

"Of course we've seen rogue Hunters. They often choose to run from their big cities. But they don't matter to us. We give them temporary shelter if they wish, and send them on their way."

"You do?" Ruby and the rest of her team leaned in closer. "Have any come recently?"

"Might've been one last year, or perhaps the year before." Kedinn shrugged. "But living out here amongst the Grimm means we got more important things to be worrying about."

"But none within the last few weeks? We have pictures."

"No." The short reply elicited sighs from the team. "Well, thanks anyways." Ruby said, "I guess we'll be on our way."

Yang looked at her younger sister pleadingly and butted in, "You said you let some Hunters stay for a night?"

Kedinn smiled. "Of course. Our hospitality extends to any who come in fear of Grimm. You will have to use your own tent, but for tonight, our food is yours."

"Alright!" Yang punched the air in delight. "You have no idea how grateful we are."

The rest of the team thanked Kedinn as well, and set their tent up on the outskirts of the encampment. "See! Ask and ye shall receive, little sis."

"I just didn't want to impose." Ruby said, "It didn't seem as if she liked us very much."

"I think that's just how these people work." Weiss said, "Growing up away from civilization tends to make people less, well, civilized."

"They seemed civilized enough to me when they offered travellers food." Blake said, "How many people in Vale would do that?"

"I'm just saying that we shouldn't expect them to act like people in Vale." Weiss' hands moved around more when she was aggravated. Now she placed them on her hips as she and Blake stared at each other.

"Look, let's just focus on the positive." Yang said, "We don't have to cook for ourselves tonight!"

"Just don't get your hopes up." Weiss said, "I don't think these tribesmen have discovered gourmet food."

Blake sighed but ignored Weiss. Instead she focused on hammering in another tent peg. After the tent had been erected and they had thrown their bags in, the team sat down on the nearby rocks and watched the moonrise from the mountains the rivers flowed from.

"Have you guys ever wondered why the moon's fragmented?" Ruby asked, "I loved listening to stories about them."

"You mean fairy tales?" Weiss scoffed. But Yang jabbed at Weiss and she kept quiet.

"I never really had time for them." Blake said, "My mom and dad always told me stories about the Faunus Rights Revolution."

"Well, I loved it when mom told them." Yang said, referring to Summer. "Do you remember?"

"No, it was always dad who told them to me." Ruby said. "My favorite one was about how we humans were pure and used to live on the moon, but then we got kicked down to this planet of darkness because we offended the ruler of the moon."

"I heard that one too." Weiss said, "But I also preferred the one where the moon and earth loved each other so much that the moon kept on sending little gifts down to earth, until it accidentally spent too much of itself on his lover. And that's why it's fragmented."

"That's a little dark." Ruby said, "And a little stupid of the moon. Why do love stories always end badly?"

"My favorite one was that there actually used to be people on the moon, and after a huge war we won, the moon shattered. But in the process we lost all our technology." Yang said. She turned to Ruby. "Remember when we used to pretend we were the moon and Remnant and fought each other?"

"Yeah." Ruby pouted, "You always won."

"Sounds like a cool childhood." Weiss said wistfully. She picked at the short grass they were sitting on.

"Didn't you and your sister do stuff like that?" Yang asked.

"No, me and my sister," Weiss frowned. "My parents weren't really that normal either."

"Neither was our dad." Yang laughed, "Remember that time he went to the doctor and found out both me and him were allergic to mistletoe? He then burnt every single fern around the house, just to be safe."

"Okay, that's both weird and over the top." Weiss said, "I can see where you two get it from."

The four of them laughed lightly and continued watching the moon. The sky slowly darkened around it, and before they knew it, the man that had greeted them before stood before them and said, "Dinner is prepared. Follow me."

The entire clan sat around a large campfire that spewed just as much smoke as it did fire. Ruby breathed it in and coughed violently. "What is that stuff?"

"Is that cigar smoke?" Weiss asked, "My dad always stank of that stuff."

"Grimm are attracted to negative emotions." Kedinn sat cross-legged next to them. "These fires ward off what negative emotions we can." She gestured to her other clansmen, whose smiles seemed a little too relaxed and genuine.

"You intoxicate your own people?" Weiss asked indignantly, "What if Grimm actually do attack?"

"We have people on watch." Kedinn said, "And unless you have lived out here for decades, I would advise you not to judge."

She then smiled and handed out wooden bowls filled with stew. It looked similar to the stew team RWBY had been eating, but after learning about what was in the fire, RWBY was wary. Reading their concerns, the clan leader said, "We want to relax our people, not incapacitate them."

Yang slowly took a bite, and said, "This is really good!"

Weiss was a notoriously picky eater, and nibbled at a chunk of meat. It was spicy and seared her throat, but at the same time filled her stomach with a lingering warmth. She took a few more bites before giving the rest to Yang. "My stomach was not made for spicy food."

"Aw, come on, Weiss!" Yang said, with her mouth full. "This is great!"

"Ew! Say it, don't spray it!" Weiss flicked her hand to get rid of some residue that Yang had sprayed in Weiss' general direction. Yang's grin widened, but she remembered that she was in public and refrained from infuriating Weiss further.

When everyone seemed to be finishing their dinner, the Kedinn stepped next to the fire in the middle of the circle. Silence fell and team RWBY knew something was going to happen.

Then Kedinn yelled, "From earth they come!"

"FROM EARTH THEY COME!" The entire clan repeated what Kedinn said, causing Ruby to jump.

"From earth they come, and to soil they go!" Kedinn yelled.

"FROM EARTH THEY COME, AND TO SOIL THEY GO!"

"Wandering remnants of a glorious whole!"

"WANDERING REMNANTS OF A GLORIOUS WHOLE!"

Ruby was enamored with the clan as they swayed back and forth, yelling back what Kedinn cried out into the night.

"Whole they were, and whole they shall be!"

"WHOLE THEY WERE, AND WHOLE THEY SHALL BE!"

"Broken they are, and broken are we!"

"BROKEN THEY ARE, AND BROKEN ARE WE!"

The clansmen were thumping the earth with their hands. It had started off as a slow and soft heartbeat, but now grew louder.

"When the gate opens and twilight falls!"

"WHEN THE GATE OPENS AND TWILIGHT FALLS!"

"Peace and balance shall envelop us all!"

"PEACE AND BALANCE SHALL ENVELOP US ALL!"

Ruby's mouth was hanging open, and she realized that she had been breathing in copious amounts of smoke. When she tried to focus on Kedinn, she only saw the fire behind her and the shadows and shades the flames twisted into. She turned to Mako, who had materialized beside her during the chanting.

"What was that?" Her words were slurred together and her head lolled from side to side.

"You have your fairy tales and we have ours." Mako said. He then got up and said, "We believe in the Primordial Grimm."

"The what?" Yang asked. She grinned at Weiss, who was so drowsy she rested her head on Yang's lap.

"You are young, but have you heard of the more powerful types of Grimm?" Mako asked. "None of your Ursa or Beowolves, oh no. I talk of the Behemoths. The Leviathans. The Ganeshi. The Sleipnirs. And most legendary of all, the Grimm with names."

The Hunters shook their heads, and the clan leader continued. "Legend has it that the older the Grimm are, the more intelligent and powerful they become. Those who live long enough gain consciousness like you or I, and we have dubbed those the Primordial Grimm. Some of their names we know. Garmr. Hati. Skoll. Others we don't."

"Wait, but the Grimm are already really powerful." Yang said, "We've only been able to maintain four major cities, and Grimm attacks are still frequent. If there were even more powerful Grimm, why would they need to wait?"

"I don't know." Mako shrugged. "But that is simply our fairy tale. You are free to have your own. Now, it is late, and you should be getting some rest."

"Yeah, okay." Ruby said, "Thanks for the story. It was really cool."

"We tell it to every Hunter with whom we cross paths." Kedinn walked over from the fire. "Given your close contact with the Grimm, this story is usually of particular interest."

"Wait a minute." Ruby said, turning to her team. "Ozpin said that CNDR was a rouge team, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Yang asked.

Ruby took out her scroll and showed the clan leader a picture of team CNDR. Kedinn raised her eyebrows and said. "You walk a dangerous path, children. That of knowledge. Others more powerful than you seek it, and if you continue along this path, you'll undoubtedly encounter far more than you bargained for."

"So you know them!" Ruby said, trying to shake off the effects of the smoke. "When did you meet them?"

"Around twelve years ago, give or take. They too were seekers of knowledge. I shall talk no more of this."

She turned her back and left. Ruby and the others tried to follow her, but her clansmen formed a wall and Mako pointed in the direction of their tent. "You will leave tomorrow."

It wasn't a request.

Head buzzing with questions, Ruby and her team went to their tent. Despite being in an encampment with others, they decided to set a watch. Ruby volunteered to take the first watch, not wanting to go to bed feeling wrung out from breathing in the smoke.

As she kept watch she let her Aura flow quickly through her body, hoping that it would force out the toxins in her. She paced in a circle around the tent, swinging her scythe this way and that. She wondered about the legendary Grimm the clan leader had told them about. And, yes, she even hoped to see one! If they had names, then that meant they had to be the most intelligent of all. Maybe they were even human.

She imagined humanoid shapes in black fur, or a civilization comprised of Grimm, then shook her head. She was supposed to be killing them, not trying to befriend them. She sighed and continued pacing around the tent, the usual melancholy washing over her. Being around her team staved it off, but solitude and the night tended to coax out the mixture of fear and nostalgia that now gnawed at her insides.

Despite her nocturnal doubts and aftereffects of the smoke, she was still alert and heard Mako approaching long before he was within speaking distance. The man regarded Ruby for a moment before holding out a tree root. "Here, this combats the effects of the smoke."

Ruby took it and chewed, releasing a bitter juice that made her screw up her face in disgust. But as Mako predicted, her vision cleared and she could focus on him.

"I am interested in Vale." Mako said, "Would you care to tell me about recent events?"

Ruby laughed. "Well, there have been a lot of things going on. Do you know about the White Fang?"

"A Faunus rights movement that sprang up shortly after the Faunus Rights Revolution."

"Well, your information might be a little outdated." Ruby said, "They've got new leaders that are more violent. They use force to get people to respect them. And a month ago, they blew in a breach in Vale, letting in Grimm."

Mako's eyes widened. "Was anyone hurt?"

"No, not really." Ruby said, "Luckily, we got there in time."

Mako nodded. "That's good."

He fell silent, and Ruby took the opportunity to ask something that had been on her mind. "Hey, Mako. Why are your names, well, sort of different to ours? I mean, it doesn't really refer to a color."

"Our ancestors didn't take part in the Great War." Mako said. "They felt no need to give us names like yours."

Ruby nodded and Mako continued. "I came because no one should be on watch alone. The darkness can amplify loneliness and attract more Grimm."

It was only now that Ruby realized that just talking with Mako had lifted her spirits. These clans did know a thing or two about avoiding Grimm. They were also better at sensing them too, because Mako suddenly stiffened. "Something is coming."

Ruby immediately cocked her weapon and her eyes darted around. She felt Mako gather his own Aura around him, and she did the same. She now saw a dark figure approaching at rapid speeds. It was heading straight for the encampment, and Ruby yelled, "Guys! Get up, something's coming!"

Blake darted out of the tent within seconds, Gambol Shroud already unsheathed. Weiss was the next to tumble out of the tent, only taking a moment to brush her messy hair out of her face. Even as she did so, Ruby could hear Yang load Ember Celica from inside.

"It's a man." Blake said, as Yang rolled out of the tent. "But he's camouflaged himself. I can't see…" But as the man entered the range of their weapons, he put on another burst of speed and skidded to a halt in front of team RWBY.

"Ah! Girls! How wonderful to see you!" A loud voice fired off words like a machine gun. He spoke so fast even Ruby had trouble following Dr. Oobleck's voice. "Well, I see you too have found the nomadic clans! Excellent people and perhaps our only source of knowledge from before the Great War! I do hope you have interrogated them and learnt valuable information about their customs and, more importantly, their history!"

"Um, Dr. Oobleck?" Ruby asked, "What exactly are you doing-"

"Excellent question!" Oobleck exclaimed, "After three weeks without results and much persuasion from Glynda, Ozpin has decided to change strategies regarding the theft of the Sliver. I have been instructed to-" He broke off and his head swiveled to stare closely at Mako. "Well, as I live and breath! Burgundy! Why, my classes without you have become dull in comparison! I thought your team had been exterminated by Grimm!"

Mako, who had been sidling away to the campsite, froze at Oobleck's words. "I don't know who you're talking about. Perhaps you should drink less Dust fluid."

"Ah, but only one of my few protégés would know that it is Dust fluid inside my thermos!" Oobleck yelled, "Ah, it gives me such energy as it does my weapon!"

"Um, Dr. Oobleck?" Yang asked, "How much have you been drinking?"

"Oh, I lose track of such trivialities!" Oobleck yelled, "But I haven't had time for sleeping while trying to track you students down! Perhaps for the five days I've been out on the trail!"

"You haven't slept for five days?" Weiss exclaimed, "Shouldn't you slow down a little, professor?"

"What nonsense!" Oobleck said, "Why, Burgundy can tell you of the time I had to stay up for two weeks leading a Grimm extermination mission out here! Ah, those were good times! So much knowledge to be found! Grimm trails everywhere! We even saw a horde of Pantheras! To be so close to their mandibles, close enough to make the most well-documented thesis on Panthera anatomy! And it could never have happened if I hadn't gotten swallowed half a dozen times!"

Oobleck's caffeine rush explained why he was talking even faster than usual. Team RWBY looked to Mako for confirmation, who nodded. "Oobleck's devised a concoction that heightens the body's limits for an extended period of time. And, yes, he did get swallowed by several Pantheras."

"Wait, are you a rogue Hunter?" Ruby asked.

"No, just someone who's had enough with life in Vale." Mako said, "Ozpin never bothered sending people to look for me."

"You decided to leave?" Yang asked, "After all you had worked for?"

Mako sighed. "If you had said that to me ten years ago, or even five, I would have attacked you for saying that. But I've left all that behind." As he talked, the thick tribal accent faded away and was replaced by one that was distinctly from Vale. "Do you really think I deserted my post on a whim? Let me ask you something. Why did you all decide to become Huntresses?"

The four girls looked at each other, then at Oobleck, then back at each other. "To protect others." Ruby said.

"And what if you found out you couldn't?" Mako said, "What if you found yourself kneeling by the comrades you were supposed to protect? What if you realized that you were just another casualty in a never-ending war, and that your sentiments and resolve meant nothing to the man at the top?"

"If that's what you think of Ozpin, then you don't know him at all." Ruby said, "He cares about us." Ruby remembered the way Ozpin's eyes had bored into her own, but he had just been scared. He couldn't be dangerous, at least, not to his Hunters.

"I suppose you'll see." Mako said. He turned to Oobleck and said, "I'm glad to see you're still alive."

"As am I, Burgundy!" Oobleck said. "I suppose there is no way I can convince you to return with these girls? Vale will need every able person they can get!"

"Vale must be in dire straits if it needs a washed up old man like me." Mako smiled. "Is team DRGN still active?"

"I'm afraid not." Oobleck said with some solemnity, "Two of them perished six years ago, and the other two now work at Steeple Academy in Vacuo."

"I expected as much." Mako said, "In any case, good luck in your future endeavours. From what little I've seen, it looks like you'll need it."

"Thank you." Oobleck turned to team RWBY. "Girls, your new orders are to make your way back to Vale as soon as possible." He turned to leave, but Ruby said, "Wait, can we talk in private for a bit?"

Oobleck considered it for a moment before nodding. "Very well then Ruby, what is it?"

They walked away from the tent and three very curious pairs of ears. "It's about knowledge." Ruby said, "And, well, sort of about Ozpin."

She hesitated before continuing. "Both Ozpin and Kedinn, the leader of this clan, warned me about pursuing knowledge. But you always taught us that knowledge prepares us."

"Ozpin warned you about meddling like you did with the White Fang?" Oobleck asked. His voice slowed down to a normal pace, sensing the gravity of what Ruby was telling him.

"Yeah, it was the day the alarms went off." Ruby said.

 _But if I find you responsible for another transgression of this magnitude, repercussions will be swift and severe_

"He sort of, well, threatened me." Ruby said. "I mean, not _actually_ threatened me, more like a warning. It wasn't like he was interrogating me or something. It's just-"

"I suspect there is more going on than either of us know." Oobleck said in a quieter tone, cutting off Ruby's backpedaling. "I too have suspected that Ozpin may be hiding something hidden in the histories."

Ruby's eyes widened as Oobleck said, "I tell you this because this seems to be a recurring pattern. When I was working for my Ph.D, I first attempted to research the times before the Great War. Not only did I find no records at all, but Ozpin himself came to me and told me not to pursue this line of research. Since then, I have held Ozpin in a queer regard. While his intentions are undoubtedly noble and while he is one of the most capable men I have known, there has always been a niggling curiosity about him resting in the back of my head.

"And why did Kedinn warn us about seeking knowledge?" Ruby asked.

"This is pure speculation," Oobleck said, "But I believe that these secretive nomads are the only remnants left from before the Great War. I believe that they know what Ozpin is hiding, but choose to keep it a secret, perhaps for their own safety."

Ruby nodded again, her heart sinking deep into her abdomen. Oobleck ruffled her black hair and said, "I apologize to burden you with this knowledge, but I have never been one to deny seekers of knowledge. Besides, I have a feeling you will not have the luxury of innocence for much longer."

On that grim note, Oobleck started speaking in his normal rapid-fire voice. "Well then, Ruby, an excellent discussion! I hope to have many more in the days to come! But for now, I must find team CRDL up in the mountains! Goodbye and good luck!" With that parting note, he dashed away again, quickly disappearing into the night.

Ruby headed back into her tent, only to be confronted by Yang and the rest of her team, all of whom were glaring at her. Ruby shrank back as Yang stepped forward and hissed, "Ozpin threatened you!"

"How did you-" Ruby started, then turned to Blake, who wiggled her ears in response. "Blake! Why did you eavesdrop on us?"

"Hey, you'd do the same if you were in my position." Blake said, "And I'm glad I did. Is this why you've been so down these past three weeks?"

"You know, apart from the fact that we haven't eaten good food, slept in a bed, and been on a suicide mission for the past three weeks." Weiss chipped in. Blake jabbed her in the ribs and said, "Not the time!"

"We're here for you, Ruby." Yang said, "You don't need to hide things from us."

"Look, it didn't matter, okay?" Ruby said, "I don't think Ozpin really meant it anyways."

"It didn't matter?" Weiss asked, "So you don't think we deserve to know when someone like Ozpin threatens us?"

"You guys are just making such a big deal out of this." Ruby said, "Of course I'd tell you if something was wrong. You can trust me, I promise."

"It seems hard to trust you when you hid a death threat from us." Weiss said.

"Guys, lay off Ruby." Unexpectedly, it was Blake who came to Ruby's rescue. "She's right, you're making a big deal out of nothing. Sure, she messed up, but we don't have to yell at her like this."

Yang and Weiss both paused and looked at how Ruby's lips were pressed tightly together, and how she was slightly hunched over as if weathering a storm. Feeling guilty, Yang stepped forward. "Look, I'm sorry I overreacted. You've just seemed really sad, and I want to do something about it."

"I'm fine, Yang. I'm just on edge." Ruby smiled at her. "Can we just go to sleep?"

"I second that decision." Weiss said. "We could all use some rest."

"Yeah, definitely." Blake hopped lightly over to her sleeping mat and curled up.

Yang wanted to say more to Ruby, but she was already lying on her side, breathing softly. Behind Yang, Weiss slept on her back with her hands crossed over her lap. Yang thought she was sleeping, but Weiss mumbled, "I think that's a unanimous decision that you're taking watch for a few hours."

Yang chuckled and said, "Gee, thanks. I'll wake you up when I'm done."

Weiss gave an undignified grunt that she would never let anyone else hear. Yang laughed again and headed out of the tent while silence settled within it.

* * *

 **Alright! Hope you guys enjoyed that. I had to tweak a couple of things in this chapter and chapter 4, which was why this one took a little longer getting out.**

 **Thanks to my new followers and single favourite! Your support's much appreciated.**

 **Again, if there are things you'd like to see changed, or anything you want to say about the story, feel free to give me feedback.**

 **Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

The encampment was stirring with movement when they woke. As Ruby and the others started making breakfast, she saw teepees being taken down and put on pack horses. Seeing that Yang was taking care of breakfast, Ruby trotted over to take a look.

"Whoa," She murmured, seeing the horses stamp their hooves. She slowly attempted to pet one from when Mako tugged her away. "You haven't been around horses, have you."

"Um, no." Ruby said, "We don't have them in Vale. And the only wild animals out in the forests were small ones like marmots or rabbits."

"Well, know that if you pet one from that angle unexpectedly, it will kick you as hard as it can." Mako said. "Horses are good creatures, but only if they know you." He looked over to her team and said, "Shouldn't you be helping with packing?"

"Yeah, I will." Ruby said, "Why are you guys moving?"

"Because we do." Mako shrugged, "We've stayed here for many days now, and Grimm may find our scent, even though we hide it. Also, we fear that you may have attracted Grimm as well."

"Sorry about that." Ruby rubbed her head, but Mako shook his head. "It doesn't matter." He opened his mouth to say something else, but his head whipped around as the sound of a horn drifted through the air.

"Ashes!" He cursed, "Grimm have been sighted." He listened to another horn that played several notes. "Nevermores. Two of them." He gestured to the sky, where Ruby could see two faint specks.

The warriors jogged over to Mako ready for battle, but Ruby said, "No, we'll take care of it. It's our job."

"Child, you don't need to." Another clansman said. Ruby cut him off by unsheathing Crescent Rose and flourishing it in front of the tribe. "Me and my team can handle it."

Mako smiled. "Oobleck spoke highly of you. Very well, then. Go."

Ruby nodded and jogged back to her team. "There are Grimm nearby coming up the hill. We have to take care of them."

"Alright! Let's get some action!" Yang said. She jumped up, almost spilling breakfast as she did so.

Team RWBY headed off quickly, their weapons unsheathed and loaded. They ran further up the hill, getting ready to fight the huge birds that would prey upon them. "We need to distract it and bring it here." Ruby said, looking at the birds that were still high up in the air. "Weiss, Blake."

"On it." The two of them chorused. Weiss started muttering under her breath, preparing to cast multiple Force glyphs. Weiss had decided to concentrate training on a few set of glyphs instead of having a broad knowledge of many. While she had neglected training her Elemental glyphs, she could not only cast a dozen Force glyphs at a time, but also store and release more energy in them than ever before.

She now cast as many as she could, and she and Blake were propelled into the sky, using the glyphs like stepping stones. Weiss let the Glyphs beneath them dissolve, concentrating on casting more and more. When they were level with the two Nevermores, Blake jumped up and used her Semblance to draw the attention of the Nevermores.

Weiss wasn't the only one who had improved upon her Semblance. Blake could now produce more shadows of herself. Three images of Blake flew to meet the Nevermores and Blake landed on top of one of them. She then dug one end of Gambol Shroud into the neck of one and flung out the other end of her weapon to Weiss, who was clutching at the underbelly of the other Grimm. Her ribbon that normally covered her ears connected the two ends of her weapons, and it stretched across the bodies of the two Nevermores. Weiss and Blake both pulled and the ribbon grew taut, then slowly dragged the two Nevermores into a collision.

The two Grimm tumbled to the ground, losing half their altitude before regaining control of their senses. As they did, Weiss and Blake deliberately fell in view of the Nevermores, who now pursued them down towards the ground. Weiss used another Force glyph to cushion her and Blake's fall while Yang started firing Ember Celica that exploded on contact. Next to her, Blake started shooting bullets, knowing that she was only annoying the Grimm but buying time for Weiss and Ruby.

Weiss was now charging a single Force glyph with as much energy as possible. It was white when she first invoked it, but it had turned steadily greyer and was now a pitch black. Ruby stood on it, charging her own Semblance, feeling the muscles in her leg tighten. When both were ready, they gave the signal to Blake and Yang, who lured one of the Nevermores down in front of Ruby and Weiss. Ruby then grinned as she _pushed_ as hard as she could, streaking like a red comet straight through the Nevermore's chest.

To Yang, it seemed as if Weiss had fired a red laser through the Nevermore, and she laughed as it came crashing down. She turned to Weiss and said, "Think you can handle more Force glyphs?"

"Please, don't insult me." Weiss' face was contorted in an excited grin that only occurred when she was testing her limits. She waved her rapier and four glyphs appeared in the air for Yang to jump on. Yang jumped up and grabbed onto the wing over the remaining Nevermore. She used the feathers like handholds to swing her way to the place where the wing joint met the body.

She then started firing huge cartridges at the wing. Within four punches the wing was hanging by several threads of sinew that hung like strands of rubber. Off balance, the Nevermore crashed into the ground, sending screeches echoing off the mountains. It slowly got up on its claws and flapped its remaining wing, but before it could regain its senses, Blake dashed towards the Nevermore's head and used Gambol Shroud to slice out its eyes.

The four girls stood for a moment breathing heavily while the Grimm in front of them disintegrated. All of them were sweating from the exertion, but they grinned in satisfaction.

Yang broke the silence. "Um, guys, some bad news. I've almost run out of ammo."

"Well, maybe if you didn't shoot a cartridge every time you threw a punch, you wouldn't be." Weiss said. She did have a point. Yang had a tendency to use her explosive guns against even Beowolves, when just punching them would have done the job.

"It's a good thing we're going back to Vale, then." Yang said, "You guys ready to go?"

They all nodded and went back to their tent, which they still hadn't taken down. On the way, Ruby saw Mako looking at her with a small smile on his face. She started to walk towards him but he nodded towards her team, and went back to help preparing his and his clan's departure.

Ruby hadn't kept track of her ammunition, and when she checked, was glad to see that she still had reserves for about two weeks, provided she used close range combat as much as possible. Weiss had organized and rationed her Dust, and didn't need to check how much was left. Blake didn't rely on the pistol built into the handle of her katana much, and ammunition wasn't a problem for her.

Ruby kept her spare ammunition near the top of her pack and help stuff part of their tent into her pack. Within minutes, she and her team were ready to move out back to Vale.

* * *

The four girls had left a thriving city and returned to an occupied warzone. After another week of travel, they walked up a mountain and saw Vale nestled in Vytal's coastline. The sun had almost set, and while there were still streaks of orange in the sky behind them, night had fallen over Vale.

Even from a distance, Ruby could see that Vale had changed in the month they'd been gone. A wall had been erected outside of Vale, and even from a distance they could see bullheads flying across Vale with huge searchlights. "This looks bad." Blake said. "Things might have even gotten worse."

"Maybe we should camp here and enter Vale in the morning." Weiss said, "I don't want to get mistaken for intruders."

"I just want to sleep in a bed." Ruby said, "Can we please go now?"

Weiss nose scrunched as two desires—one for caution and the other for comfort—warred within her. She then sighed and said, "We won't be detained, Blake. We're Hunters. Let's go."

Yang whooped and the four of them descended into Vale. Within half an hour, they were at the outer wall that had been quickly put up since they were gone. Up close, it was a lot higher than it had seemed. It was about four metres with steel rivets and nails clearly visible. It wouldn't win any awards for artistry, but it was sturdy, made out of the same material as airships.

Without needing direction, Weiss made a large glyph that catapulted the four of them over the wall. Weiss dusted off her dress as she landed. It was an old habit that she hadn't let go of, even though her clothes were permanently stained after only occasional washings in rivers.

Then she looked up into a dozen guns.

"Maybe we should have looked for a door." Yang whispered. The four of them were surrounded by several officers from the Vale Police Department (VPD) and half a dozen Atlasian robots, a gift from Ironwood.

"Hands up!" The officer in charge said.

Yang squinted at the man's badge. "Hey, Nemo! No need to be so hostile."

"That's Nero." Nero said, "And you should listen to a police officer."

"We're Hunters returning from duty." Weiss said indignantly, "What right do you police officers have pointing guns at us?"

"Yeah, you guys should be protecting the people." Ruby said, "Not threatening them."

Nero shuffled his feet. "Just show me your identification and get on your way. But next time use the gate. It's about a kilometre that way."

The four girls handed the Nero their Hunter IDs, then walked through the agricultural area of Vale. Yang pointed at a bus stop and said, "Hey! Let's try and get one."

They had only been out of Vale for a month, but all four of them had forgotten that inside a city, walking wasn't the only method of transportation. They made their way eagerly to the station, but saw a sign taped to the normal bus schedule that said, _DUE TO CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES BUSES ONLY RUN FROM 8 AM TO 5 PM. APOLOGIES FOR INCONVENIENCES CAUSED._

"Well, that was a letdown." Yang sighed. "Ah well, we've walked all this way, might as well walk some more."

"I never knew walking could be so boring." Ruby moaned, "Even killing small Beowolves was more interesting than this."

"I think it's a sign of how much we've improved." Weiss said, "Before, it would have been difficult for us to kill that many."

"No. One. Caaaares." Ruby made a face at Weiss while staggering about like she was about to faint.

"I don't know why I bother." Weiss rolled her eyes. They arrived at one of the main roads that led to the residential area of Beacon. The road stretched for kilometres in front of them, but not a single vehicle was to be seen. Yang grinned. "Hey, you know what would make this more fun?"

"It's a little late to give Ruby a personality change." Weiss said.

"Well, the roads aren't being used." Yang said, with a glint in her eye that Ruby always associated with trouble. "And we want to get back to Beacon quickly."

"No." Blake said.

"Aw, come on!" Yang said, "You haven't even heard what I've got in mind."

"You want to race, don't you." Blake didn't even phrase it as a question.

"Well, yeah." Yang said, "I mean, we haven't had fun in ages."

"If this is what you call fun," Weiss said, "Then I think you've been smoking whatever those barbarians in the wilderness were."

"C'mon, afraid you'll lose?" Yang grinned, "I thought you'd been working on your force glyphs, or was that just a lie?"

"Um, Yang, my Semblance is speed." Ruby spoke up, "There isn't much contest."

"Oh, is that so, little sister?" Yang grinned, "Well, maybe things have changed since we've been out there. Maybe I've gotten faster too."

"This is stupid." Blake said, "You guys do what you want, I'll meet you at-"

"Yoink!" Yang yanked away Blake's ribbon that she had just put on to hide her cat ears. She hadn't bothered with it out in the field, instead keeping it attached to Gambol Shroud for convenience. Now it hung in Yang's hand.

"Well, Blake, looks like you're racing after all." Yang grinned. "See ya!" With that, she blasted off onto the highway and fired off a few more rounds to propel her even further.

Yang whooped as the wind blew her hair back, and she looked behind her only to see Ruby dash past her in a flurry of rose petals. This wasn't surprising, but Yang also knew that Ruby's Semblance couldn't be sustained for long. Behind her, Weiss hadn't moved from her starting spot, preparing her glyphs with maximum power. Blake had abandoned the road, heading through the fields in a direct line to Beacon.

Yang hit the ground running and grinned at the burning sensation in her chest. Her Semblance was to store and release energy. She had stored and saved a lot during the day, and now used it to its full effect. She was on fire, literally and figuratively, as she charged down the roads, causing flames to erupt at her feet with every step she took. She looked around and saw Weiss hopping across her glyphs a hundred metres away, while Ruby was already halfway through the residential area, hopping from building to building.

Yang ran into the residential area of Vale, which meant they were about halfway there to Beacon. She tore through the streets and laughed as she let herself go. She let go of worrying about Ruby and stopped thinking about Ozpin. She stopped thinking about growing up and being soldiers, and just reveled in being a kid.

Yang grabbed onto a street lamp and swung around to quickly changed directions. She fired Ember Celica to shoot herself onto the rooftops, but as she did so, she suddenly saw a figure in red watching her from an alleyway. Before she could get a closer look, the figure was gone and Yang had already ascended to the rooftops of Vale.

In the distance, Yang could see the lights of Beacon glowing on the cliffs. She took in the view of the huge canyon that Beacon was on top of, and remembered how she and Ruby had looked down from the airship they had first come to Beacon in. But she immediately focused on the present as Blake jumped up alongside her. Yang didn't know how Blake had been able to keep up, but quickly concentrated on her partner in front of her.

Blake darted in for her ribbon wrapped around Yang's arm, but Yang dodged away and kept on running towards Beacon. Unfortunately, Blake suddenly appeared in front of her, causing Yang to backtrack. Then the image disappeared, and Yang realized that Blake had used her Semblance to distract Yang. Blake took this opportunity to once again lunge for her ribbon, but Yang jumped away and shot Ember Celica at Blake. As the cartridge was about to hit Blake, Yang worried about accidentally hurting Blake.

Then Blake disappeared.

Or rather, the image created by Blake's Semblance that had sparred with Yang for the past fifteen seconds disappeared.

Yang stopped dead in her tracks. She knew Blake could send out shadows of herself, but never knew they could last for so long. Yang realized that Blake used her Semblance to stall Yang while Blake caught up.

Then the real Blake scrambled onto the rooftop and threw the hilt of Gambol Shroud at Yang. Yang twirled away, only to see Gambol Shroud disappear. Apparently Blake could now create brief shadows of Gambol Shroud. Yang comprehended all of this as Blake lunged in and snagged her ribbon with her real weapon.

"Aw, guess you got me." Yang said, thoroughly unapologetic.

"Not funny, Yang." Blake said. She tied the ribbon around her feline ears. "You know I hate walking around without it."

"It was fun, wasn't it?" Yang said, "I bet Ruby and Weiss are already there."

"Probably." Blake said. "And the race did help take my mind off things."

"What things?"

"Torchwick, Cinder, the White Fang, all of it." Blake said.

"Not that again." Yang said, "You just want something to worry about."

"Tell that to Ozpin." Blake said, "He's the one that's worrying. Besides, I get the feeling that Torchwick _wanted_ to be captured."

"Well, it's not like we could have done anything in the field." Yang said, "You worry too much. But we'll do something now that we're back, just like last time."

"I would advise against that." Came a voice from behind them.

Blake leapt backwards, asking, "Who are you? I didn't even hear or smell you." She looked at Yang to coordinate a plan of attack, only to see her partner fly at the person eavesdropping on them.

"Uncle Qrow!" Yang yelled, "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Well, Ozpin's been keeping me busy." Qrow said. Blake had heard about the one who taught Ruby how to use a scythe and the one who saved Yang and Ruby from being ravaged by Grimm. She supposed after hearing Yang and Ruby idolize their uncle Qrow, it was only natural that he didn't look as awe inspiring as Blake had envisioned him.

Qrow had red eyes that matched a red cape like the one Ruby wore, though his was far more tattered and faded. He dressed neatly, with a grey dress shirt and formal black trousers. He smiled as Yang asked, "Why are you back at Beacon?"

"The same reason you are." Qrow said, "But I can't say too much. Ozpin wouldn't want me leaking information. The man can be pretty secretive."

Blake reckoned that was the understatement of the year, but instead asked, "How long were you listening?"

"Well, when I hear cartridge shells being fired in the very heart of Vale, I had to check it out." Qrow shot a pointed look at Yang. "You're lucky I was around, or else the Atlasian patrols would have had you tranquilized and in a cell."

"So you were watching us race?" Blake asked. The idea of being spied on without her knowing it unnerved her. How good was this man?

"Well, once I called off the guards, I went to make sure Ruby and the Schnee girl made it to Beacon okay." Qrow said, "Then I came here again."

"And you told us not to investigate?" Blake asked.

At this, Qrow's smile faded and he stared intently at both Yang and Blake. "Ozpin keeps me updated on what you girls have been doing. And I approve."

"You do?" Yang asked.

"Of course I do." Qrow said, "Hunters have to be vigilant at all times and take the initiative. What you did with the White Fang was good. But there's a difference between that and doubting your commanding officer."

"We aren't doubting Ozpin," Yang said, full well remembering the debates they had had regarding Ozpin's sanity in the wilderness. "We just want to see if there was more to Torchwick's plan."

"By disobeying Ozpin's orders, you're sowing doubt among the ranks." Qrow said, "We stood against the Grimm only because we stuck together, and we have to keep it that way."

Yang sighed. "Okay, uncle Qrow."

Qrow smiled and said, "Well, business calls. I have to go. But if all goes well, I might be seeing you some more in the future."

With that, he leapt off the rooftop and disappeared behind a building. Yang turned with a grin to Blake and said, "Let's call this a draw?"

"Whatever." Blake said, "So that's your uncle Qrow. He seems, pretty easygoing."

"Yeah, he is." Yang said, "Although Ruby told me he could get a little harsh when training."

Blake nodded. "Well, let's go meet Ruby and Weiss. Hopefully they're not strangling each other."

As it turned out, Ruby was sleeping in their old room while Weiss was nowhere to be seen. It had only been a month since they were gone, but the room already felt foreign. For one thing, someone had come in and taken down the two bunkbeds. The ropes that one bed used to hang on lay in a pile along with a note.

 _Tai Yang would throw a fit if he knew that his precious girls were sleeping in such a hazardous environment. I felt like it would be breaking our "bro code" as he puts it, if I allowed such a thing to happen._

 _Sincerely, Qrow_

"Well, he certainly gets around." Blake said. She looked at her pile of books and realized that the books which had held up the bedposts of the other bed were arranged neatly on her bookshelf. She blushed as she realized Qrow had put volume 3 of _Shinobi Desires_ in its correct place, along with all her other books.

"Yeah, he and my dad are both a little weird." Yang said. "Well, enough talk. I'm exhausted."

Yang and Blake had already tossed their worn backpacks to the floor, and Yang eagerly rooted through her drawers for clean clothes. She shrugged off her dusty travelling clothes that had more holes than fabric, and relished the cool feeling of cotton on her skin.

She didn't say anything to Blake, because both girls could sense the joy and contentment of the other. Yang fell into her bed before realizing that they hadn't turned off the lights yet. But Blake threw Gambol Shroud at the light switch, plunging them into peaceful darkness.

Yang woke in a pool of moonlight and a fast beating in her chest. At first she only saw darkness, but as her eyes adjusted, she saw a tall figure standing in the doorway. With a soft gasp, she leapt to her feet, but before she could load Ember Celica, the figure pointed out the window and disappeared into a pool of shadows.

Yang's heart was beating quickly as she looked out the window as instructed and saw a tall woman in a red dress and black tights walking through the terraces of Beacon. She considered waking the others, but knew, deep down, that only she had been woken for a reason. This figure had been tailing her, and even saved her life when she had lost the fight against Neo. But that time the woman had disappeared before Yang could say anything, and she was sure it was because there were others around.

All of this flashed through Yang's mind in the form of instinct and impulse, and she strode to the window and opened it. She was afraid that the _thunk_ of the window opening might alert Blake's keen ears, but even she was worn out from months of travel and light sleep.

Yang fell to the courtyard with a thump that seemed to echo through Beacon, but no one paid attention. She saw the woman in red waiting by the fountain and, as if in a trance, Yang strode towards her. As she did so, she felt a strange feeling of nostalgia and anticipation, like when she went back to Patch to see Tai Yang, or when she and Ruby visited Summer's grave. She stared at the mask of a Grimm, and unblinking eyes stared back from behind the mask.

"Who are you?" Yang asked. Blake had described Adam's Grimm mask, but somehow Yang didn't get the fanatical and murderous vibe from this woman.

Then the woman took her mask off, and Yang's heart beat faster in her chest. Behind the Grimm mask was a surprisingly round face with red eyes that twinkled with a mischievous intensity. She smiled and said, "Yang, we have a lot to talk about."

Yang blinked and took a deep breath. This seemed too surreal. She was staring at what seemed to be an older version of herself with black hair in Beacon. All the while the moon seemed to radiate off the woman's clothes, bathing her in a strange glow.

"My name's Raven." The woman said, "And I have what you want."

"And what's that?"

"Answers." Raven looked earnestly at Yang as she talked. "As I said, Yang, we have a lot to talk about. But not here." She looked towards the sky. "Ozpin's crow isn't around, but he still sees very far with those eyes of his, and we're not very far away from him."

"And why should I go anywhere with you?" Yang asked. "Why should I trust you at all?"

"I don't expect you to trust me," Raven said, "As for why you should come? I can give you answers that you've been searching for ever since I left." She then unsheathed a red sword that was almost as tall as Ruby and slashed the air with it. A whirlpool of black mass swirled into existence and Raven walked through it without a second thought. The portal remained open, tempting Yang every second she looked at it.

She could walk away. She could think it was a trap. But that was never an option. She took a step forward, then another, and then another. She walked through the portal. She had never backed down, and she wouldn't start now.

* * *

 **Okay, so there's the next chapter. I added in a fight scene just so we get a decent idea of where the girls are in terms of martial ability. If you have thoughts about this chapter —any at all—then don't hesitate to tell me.**

 **Thanks! Hope you enjoyed reading this.**


	5. Chapter 5

Ruby woke with a jolt and a burst of Aura. She had been roused because she thought she had sensed Jaune was standing in the room, but quickly realized that wasn't the case.

"What is it, Ruby?" Blake muttered. She was always a light sleeper and was still used to being on alert

"I thought I felt something from-" Ruby was cut off as she felt another burst of Jaune's Aura. Only this was much stronger than his usual Aura. This much Aura released at once could only mean one thing.

"He's found his Semblance!" Ruby slammed the door open and ran out. She startled Weiss awake, who said, "The sun's barely up, you dolt!"

Ruby ignored her and ran to the rooftop where Jaune and Pyrrha had their nightly training sessions. She slowed down to a walk as she got to the top of the building, not wanting to scare Jaune, especially if he was using his Semblance. Uncontrolled Semblances were never good. Yang would never live down the incident at the beach when she had lost control of her Semblance.

Ruby peered out the door and didn't see either Jaune or Pyrrha at first. Then she blushed as she saw Jaune and Pyrrha kissing against the wall next to her. Her mouth agape, Ruby tried to quietly sneak away when Nora came barreling past her pulling a bleary eyed Ren along. "Hey, you got your Semblance!"

"Agh!" Jaune stumbled away and fell backwards. Pyrrha was blushing with her hands cupping her mouth. "Um, Pyrrha was just, um,"

"Can you guys keep it down?" Weiss stomped through the door with Blake behind her. "Some of us _were_ trying to…" Weiss voice trailed off as she saw Pyrrha and Jaune both blushing furiously and avoiding everyone's gaze.

"Nope, don't want to know." Weiss stuck her nose into the air and strode away.

"Yeah, I'll give you two some privacy." Blake said.

"So, you two." Nora advanced upon the helpless couple with the intensity of a hungry Beowolf. "As best friends, Ren and I require details!"

"Uh…" Jaune quickly backed to the roof but saved by Ruby.

"Your Semblance! What is it?" Ruby dashed around Jaune confusing both him and Nora in the process. "Is it a force field? Is it elemental based? Ooh! Is it healing? Your Aura's white, right? Maybe it's light based. Like, a flashbang or a signal flare. Or maybe it was a manifestation of a fire based Semblance like Yang's! Oh, this is sooooo cool!"

"We're not sure." Pyrrha said. "His Semblance didn't seem to have any immediate effect."

"Yeah, go figure." Jaune sighed.

"No, it probably only shows in battles!" Ruby said, "Can I fight you? Please, please, please?"

"I've been fighting with Pyrrha for the past months," Jaune said, "Maybe she and I could go again?"

"I bet you guys just want to go again." Nora said from behind Ren."

"Shut up!" Jaune yelled.

"I think you should fight Ren." Pyrrha said, "You've been training with me for so long, your body might feel that Ren is more of a threat."

"Aw, but why can't it be me?" Ruby said, "I wanna see Jaune's Semblance."

"I would feel better if I knew Jaune's opponent had self-restraint." Pyrrha said.

Ruby rolled her eyes but walked to the side of the roof beside Nora. Meanwhile, Ren crouched and held his right fist in front of him while he kept his left by his fist. Jaune raised his shield in front of him and kept the tip of his longsword pointed towards Ren. The two boys faced off with each other for several seconds. Ren slowly moved around Jaune who kept his distance.

"Come on! Let's have some action!" Nora yelled.

"Yeah, Ren, beat up Jaune so he can use his Semblance!" Ruby added.

To Jaune's credit, he didn't drop his fighting stance while being heckled. Ren hoped he would be distracted and started running towards Jaune. Jaune backed away slightly as he braced himself for Ren's attack.

It didn't come from the front. Instead, Ren jumped over Jaune's shield and lashed out at Jaune's face with his foot. Jaune backed away, but Ren used his momentum from the last jump to deliver a front kick to Jaune's shield. Jaune was sent tumbling back several metres, but he kept his shield up.

Ren darted around Jaune, but this time Jaune was ready for him. He slashed at Ren to keep him from coming too close, making sure to keep his shield held between him and Ren. He swung again, but this time Ren used his palm to strike at the blade.

Infused with Aura, Ren kept up the offensive, deflecting Jaune's strikes by hitting the flat of the blade. Ruby's mouth was hanging open as she saw Ren dance around Jaune. There was no other way to put it. Ren's punches seemed to flow as swiftly as a coursing river. His limbs moved unpredictably, yet every time he moved it seemed like part of some great pattern.

The fight ended when Ren ducked under Jaune's sword, only to spring up into a kick that cracked Jaune's fingers and sent his sword flying. He dusted himself off as Jaune clutched his fingers and bowed slightly, then hurried over to Jaune. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Jaune said, "Don't worry. I'll just go to the nurse." He got up, but suddenly his hand emitted a white flash. He stumbled into Pyrrha as he dealt with the sudden loss of Aura, but his hand was fully healed.

"I was right!" Ruby said, "You _can_ heal yourself."

"Can I heal others?" Jaune asked.

"Let's see." Pyrrha said. She used her lance, Milo, to prick herself in the arm and held it out to Jaune. He gripped it and emitted his Aura again, which coursed through his arm and into Pyrrha's. When he pulled it away, the wound had scabbed over, though it was still moist.

"I probably didn't have as much Aura." Jaune said. He leaned against the wall for a moment before grinning. "I've got a Semblance!" He looked at his hands again and said, "I've actually got a Semblance!"

Pyrrha hugged him, and Nora pounded him on the back, causing him to stumble a few steps to the left. The window below them opened and they heard Cardin yell, "Congratulations! Now can you guys shut up and let us get some sleep?"

Ruby left team JNPR to go tell her team. She couldn't wait to see the look on their faces. Well, Weiss would probably be mad at being woken up again, and Blake would probably be indifferent. But Yang would be so happy for Jaune. Maybe she would…

Where _was_ Yang? Ruby hadn't given her a second thought in all the excitement of Jaune discovering his Semblance, but Yang hadn't even gotten up from bed. No, Yang had to be alright. She was, well, _Yang_. And what dangers could she get into in Beacon? Ruby opened the door to their room quietly, but her entire team was absent from the room.

Alongside the note Qrow had left, Weiss had written in elegant cursive, _Gone to look for Yang. Meet in the courtyard at eight if you haven't found anything._

Ruby sighed and jumped out of the window, going to the garage where Yang kept her motorcycle, Bumblebee. The motorcycle was where Yang had left it, and judging by the dust on the tarp thrown over it, Yang hadn't come here. Ducking underneath the Bullheads the school used, Ruby tried to think of where Yang might be.

Ruby could leave it to Weiss and Blake to check the obvious places like the dining hall and the gym. Ruby tried to think of where Yang was unlikely to go. Junior's place was possible, but Ruby didn't want to go to that side of town unless she had to. Besides, Yang would kill her if she knew Ruby voluntarily went into a bar meant for over eighteens.

As she was walking through the courtyard of Beacon, her uncle Qrow landed in the middle of the unkempt grass. Ruby beamed, but her smile faded as Qrow ran towards her. "Have you seen Yang?"

Ruby's mouth dropped. "How did you know she's missing?"

"A crow sees things if it flies high enough." Qrow muttered, more to himself. "I have to tell Ozpin."

He started to run towards the citadel behind them, but Ruby dashed alongside him. "Where's Yang?"

"I don't know." Qrow said. They reached the walls, but instead of going through the doors he ran up the towering walls. Ruby tried to follow but without Weiss' glyphs, she was only able to go up several metres before she tumbled back down to the ground.

"What's going on?" She mumbled to herself. Ruby turned around to see Yang walking through the middle of the walkway, as if she was just going to breakfast like normal.

"Where were you!?" She asked.

"Oh, you noticed?" Yang twirled her hair around her finger anxiously. Ruby also noticed that Yang's Aura was almost completely depleted, and her blond hair hung in sweaty clumps around her body. "Well, I sort of got sidetracked."

"Sidetracked?" Ruby said, "You've even got uncle Qrow worried." She kept on staring at Yang and realized that Yang's right arm was covered in dry blood.

"Oh." Yang shrugged, and that was what made Ruby worried. Yang slouched as she walked, not even bothering to smile. It was that, more than Yang's depleted Aura, that made Ruby stretch out her hand. She wanted to help Yang, but she never knew what to do. This hadn't been her job.

"Yang, what-" Ruby was cut off when Qrow fell from the top of the tower and strode to Yang. Ruby gulped when she saw how agitated her uncle was. He was one of the most laidback people she knew, and to see him anxious was as weird as, well, seeing Ozpin act harshly.

"You saw Raven?" Qrow asked.

"Yeah." Ruby realized again how tired Yang was when she didn't even flinch from Qrow's intense gaze. She seemed as tired as a war veteran who had seen and felt too much.

"What did she tell you?" Qrow asked.

"It doesn't matter." Yang said. The tone Yang used sounded familiar to Ruby. She thought back and remembered hearing it from Mako, who had once been named Burgundy, telling her how he had given up on her dreams.

What had happened to Yang?

"We need to know." Qrow said.

Yang looked at Qrow with a mixture of cynicism and disgust that made Qrow step back. Yang's eyes were lined with deep bags, and she swayed slightly on her feet.

"We _all_ need to know." Ruby stepped in and tried to appeal to Qrow's better nature. The Qrow that had a _bro code_ with her dad. The Qrow that played tag with her and always cheated by climbing up trees. The Qrow that had guided Ruby's arms until she could swing her scythe in her sleep. She flung her arms out to the side and continued, "Why does Ozpin keep on hiding things from us?"

"Because Cinder Fall was the biggest mistake I made in decades, and trying to fix it was one of the hardest things I had to do." Ozpin had somehow travelled from his office down to the courtyard. "But, yes, you are right. The high stakes and personal betrayal I felt on the day of the Vytal festival is no excuse for not telling you Hunters the truth."

Ruby slowly nodded at Ozpin's apology. The headmaster turned to Yang. "Now, I need to know what Raven told you."

"Funny you should ask." Yang said.

Ruby remembered all the times she had thrown tantrums at Tai Yang when she was told to go to her room, or take a shower. But now Yang just replied as if she was tired of Ozpin.

"Tell me, Yang." Ozpin walked up to Yang. "What did Raven say."

"She was pretty crazy." Yang said, "Ravin' about this and that, I couldn't really understand it."

Ozpin wasn't amused. "Yang, you test my patience dearly. Please refrain from doing so again, or more stringent measures will need to be taken."

"What, like you did with Ruby?" Yang's spirit trickled back into her as she was reminded of the threat Ozpin had made to Ruby. Qrow and Ozpin both stiffened and released a small increment of Aura in surprise. They controlled themselves within a fraction of a second, but Ruby felt a flash of raw power that made her take a few steps back.

"I don't think you realize the gravity of the situation." Ozpin said, "Raven stands at the pinnacle of terrorists trying to bring down Remnant. She is more powerful and influential than even CNDR. Meeting with her is tantamount to meeting with one of the most malicious people in Remnant." Ozpin was already directly in front of Yang, but as he released a small increment of his Aura, he seemed to grow taller and tower over Yang. "If any of my other headmasters realized this, you would be facing life imprisonment. The only reason you would have escaped execution would be so they could interrogate you."

Yang gulped as Ozpin held her gaze for a moment. "This will be your last chance, Yang Xiao Long. Don't waste it." Ozpin walked back to his office and Qrow jumped over the walls of Beacon and vanished from sight. Ruby waited until both adults were out of sight, then hugged Yang tightly. Yang's mouth dropped at this unusual display of affection and patted Ruby on the head. "Hey, what's gotten into you?"

"What's gotten into me?" Ruby asked, "What's gotten into you? You seem so… tired."

"Yeah, I probably shouldn't have done an all-nighter." Yang tried to make a joke, but Ruby could see right through her. Yang hadn't even smiled. She started dragging Yang to the breakfast hall where she knew the rest of her team would be waiting, but Yang pulled away. "I'm just not ready to see them."

"What?" Ruby felt like Yang was crushing her ribs together. "But… but why?"

"I just don't."

"But, Yang!" Ruby dashed in front of Yang, only to see her sister looking at her with so much sorrow and pity that Ruby flinched back. "Yang…"

"I'm fine. I just need some time to myself."

And with that, Yang plodded away from Ruby.

* * *

"What do you mean, you found her?" Weiss asked. Ruby was using her arms as a pillow to try and sleep through Weiss' tirade during breakfast. "How did you let her go?"

Ruby ignored Weiss and replayed the image of Yang giving up. It seemed plain wrong! Like… Qrow and Ozpin becoming threatening.

Great. She had been plunged into a world where everything was turned upside down. Next thing she knew, Weiss would be humble, and Blake would be a racist.

"Fine, be that way." Weiss said. She kept on eating in silence. For another five seconds. Then she lashed out at Blake. "Why are you drawing that horrible Faunus?"

"Don't call him that." Blake said, taken aback by Weiss' blatant racism.

"Oh, I'm sorry, is he a terrorist or not?"

"Am I a terrorist or not?" Blake shot back. She knew full well that Weiss was tired and needed something to lash out at, but Blake would never take an insult to her species.

"You haven't gone around killing anyone in the last year." Weiss said. "You've helped humanity."

"You don't know what Adam's been doing." Blake said, "I don't know what Adam's been doing. For all you know, he could have had nothing to do with Torchwick. So maybe the two of us _are_ the same."

"Oh, I'm _sure_ your precious Adam is a reformed pacifist." Weiss said, "Maybe we'll see him with Aurum Vingthor trying to reform new laws!"

Ruby's head started to ache as Blake yelled, "Why do you always have to be such a bigoted racist?"

"I'm just being realistic. It's much more likely that Adam's doing horrible things like, I don't know, blowing up more trains."

"Why do you always have to take time to tell me all the bad stuff Faunuses are doing? Do I rant to you about the number of deaths in your Dust mine there are every month? Or how many of those deaths are due to simple equipment failures that could have been prevented if the family in charge actually cared?"

Ruby clenched her fists as the two continued arguing. Where was Yang? She would never have let this happen. And why couldn't Ruby do anything? "That's different," Weiss was saying, "At least we're not terrorists."

"Your mines kills people, permanently injures others, and takes advantage of Faunus who are too poor to do anything else because of the prejudice that you humans perpetuate."

"Well, at least we-"

"CAN YOU JUST SHUT UP!?" Ruby yelled. She let out all the fear and unease inside her. Dust! She couldn't even stop the rest of her team from some stupid fight!

She had stood up and had her hands on the table. Panting, she looked around the dining room, and almost everyone was staring at her. Blake and Weiss had never heard Ruby even raise her voice at them, and their argument was now forgotten as they stared at Ruby, who seemed to be shocked at her own outburst.

"While impromptu and coincidental," Ozpin said as he walked through the door, "Ruby's desire for silence is exactly what I wanted." Ozpin let the doors slam behind him before he continued. "What I am about to share with you all has never been shared with any Hunter in over a century. I had been charged with keeping something in Vale safe and secret, but when the latter jeopardizes the former, I have decided to cast away the veil."

The students sat so still the only sound that could be heard was an occasional gust of wind outside the wooden walls. "Dust occurs naturally in the earth, and is dug up. Yet, it is not formed like any other mineral. The Schnee Dust Corporation has had only one mine, and yet it seems to dig up endless amounts of Dust."

Some people looked to Weiss for confirmation, but she and most of the other students had their gazes riveted to Ozpin. "This is because Dust simply appears. Crystals form out of the air, which coalesce into shards that are then mined. There is a force that orchestrates this. The heart, or life system to dust."

Mouths now hung open. The origin of Dust was literally legend, along with fairy tales regarding the moon's shattering and the origin of Grimm. Yet Ozpin spoke about this ancient knowledge like it was fact. Once again, everyone regarded him with awe. "The heart of Dust was once a single jewel, but was split into four Slivers. CNDR has stolen one, and seeks to steal the other three. And it is there that she shall fail. Students from Beacon will assist defending the other three splinters. You will receive your assignments this afternoon and depart tomorrow morning."

Ozpin looked at them all and asked, "Are there any questions?"

For the first time Ruby could remember, the dining hall was completely silent. Ozpin nodded. "Good. I wish you all the best of luck."

Even after he left, silence reigned for a few more seconds. Then slowly students began to murmur to their neighbors, and suddenly a torrent of voices were trying to be heard at once. The only ones who weren't talking were the remnants of team RWBY. Weiss and Blake sat in shamed silence while Ruby's head crashed into her arms.

Ruby tried to tune everyone else out, racking her brains, trying to imagine what Yang had even done. Yang hadn't even left Beacon, had she? What could a few hours alone have done to her?

Jaune sat down in front of her. She looked up as the rest of team JNPR followed him. "Did you hear what Ozpin said!" Nora asked, "This is so cool! Almost as cool as Jaune's Semblance."

"Still feel like a failure?" Ruby asked Jaune. She tried to make it sound like a joke, but it she couldn't muster up the tone and it sounded damning.

"Not as much," Jaune laughed, "And neither should you."

Ruby sighed. How could she be so much faster and stronger than Jaune but still not have the same harmony team JNPR had? Weiss snapped had been snapping at everyone, Blake barely talked unless it was to call Weiss out on something she said, and Yang… seemed defeated before the fight had started.

The crowd seemed to close in on her, and she just wanted to get away from the frenzied discussion that had followed Ozpin's revelation. She got up, not saying anything, and headed to her room where she curled up. The rest of the day passed in a blur. Weiss, Blake and Jaune tried talking with her, but Ruby just kept replaying Yang's retreating figure in her mind.

She dozed off and dreamed.

 _Ruby stood on a cliff and saw Yang falling from the sky. She yelled Yang's name, but Yang turned into a serpentine dragon. Shedding scales and droplets of blood, the yellow dragon crashed into the ground. From the dragon's corpse, three smaller ones emerged and roared a shrill note into the air, which resonated through the entire land. Trees fell and huge waves crashed into the land. Twilight fell and the moon shone like the last torch against the darkness._

" _Yang! Yang!" Ruby ran towards the three dragons, but stopped dead as a dark cloud obscured the moon, spilling over through the dimly lit sky and turning the heavens an inky black. The cloud then materialized into a wolf with red eyes, so malevolent Ruby could believe that it swallowed the moon just because it could. The wolf then surged towards Ironwood and Ozpin, who stood between it and Vale. It tore up mountains and forests and streams in its wake, all of which converged upon the two humans._

 _Ruby screamed inside as the wolf swallowed one of Ironwood's arms. Ironwood fell to the ground as blood pumped out of his arm, but the blood darkened to iron, and a new arm formed out of the metal. The blood that became metal continued to pour out of Ironwood, forming chains that wrapped around the huge wolf, who struggled and heaved but eventually crashed into the ground._

 _The wolf grew smaller and smaller until it almost seemed to fade into the ground, leaving Ironwood standing there with one arm of flesh and one of a dark metal that seemed as black as the wolf itself._

 _Ironwood then turned to Ruby and stretched out his hand. Chains soared from his arm and enveloped Ruby, tightening until Ruby couldn't breath. "No, please, no." Ruby tried to struggle but her vision was blackening. She saw Ozpin mouthing something, but then…_

…she was being shaken awake by Weiss. "Come on! Our next assignments have been posted." Ruby's eyes had shot open at being awoken, and she sat upright, making sure she was still in her room. Her hands trembled and she jerked her head around, making sure she really was back in her room.

Weiss stood there with her hands on her hips. "What's gotten into you? Are you alright?"

"Um, nothing." Ruby said, "Just had a weird dream."

Weiss sighed. "Well, let's get going." She headed out the door as Ruby picked up Crescent Rose from the floor. But she then stopped in the middle of the corridor and Ruby bumped into her.

"Um, there's actually something I need to tell you." Weiss said. She had her hands clasped in front of her and stood unusually formally. She tried looking at Ruby, but broke her gaze and said, "I sort of got this message from my parents last night."

"After the race?" Ruby remembered that both of their scrolls had come to life when they had gotten to Beacon. Apparently communications between kingdoms was now authorized.

"Yeah." Weiss said, "You remember that I sort of…" She grasped for a diplomatic way to phrase what had happened last night while Yang and Blake had lagged behind during the race.

"Threw a tantrum after losing?" Ruby asked.

"I didn't!" Weiss said. "And you cheated during that race!"

Ruby snickered and Weiss continued, "Well, after that, I sort of read my scroll." Weiss took a deep breath but before she could say anything, Blake dashed through the corridor. "Guys! You've got to see this."

Weiss turned to snap at Blake, but she took in the sweat on Blake's face and her heavy breathing. Without arguing, the three of them ran to the main hall to see their assignments.

Ruby realized what was wrong immediately. When she read the list of names, only hers and Blake's name were visible. "Where's Yang and Weiss?" She asked.

"Yang will be accompanied by Qrow on a two-man mission." Ozpin said from behind them. "Qrow has told her, and the two will be departing when-"

There was a crash as the doors to the main hall flew open and Yang strode in. Students looked between her and Ozpin while Qrow followed wordlessly behind. Flames fell from Yang's hair, fading away as they hit the floor. Yang's eyes burned a deep crimson as she glared at Ozpin. "What the hell is this?"

"You are to spend some time with Qrow," Ozpin said, "I thought he made that clear to you."

"Yeah, he made that _very_ clear," Yang said. "There's no way I'm leaving my team alone."

"Of course you are." Ozpin said, "Until you've regained our trust, we will keep a tight eye on you."

"No, I won't go." The temperature had been rising ever since Yang entered the room, but Ozpin was as collected as ever. He was the only one in the room who wasn't sweating.

"You will, or face the consequences." Ozpin said.

"I won't." Yang said. Ruby saw the air around Yang shimmering from the heat.

"You engaged directly with the enemy, then tried to hide it." Ozpin said, "You-"

"Engage this!" Yang swung with all her might at Ozpin. Ruby jumped backwards to get away from Yang's blast radius, but the explosion never came. Ruby looked and saw Yang's face locked in a mask of rage while her body was frozen. Her fist was centimetres away from Ozpin's face, but Ember Celica hadn't fired. Ozpin turned to Ruby and Blake and said, "It seems Yang has decided to be confined. Qrow will accompany the two of you. I'm sure he will make up for the loss of your two team members."

He dragged Yang away by her outstretched arm like he would a statue, while students looked on in shock. Qrow looked at Yang sadly as Ozpin towed her away then opened his mouth as if he were about to say something. Then he closed it again and walked away.

Ruby's eyes blurred and she was horrified to realize she was crying. She tried to hold it in, but that seemed to set her off even more. She slumped to the ground with her head between her legs and curled into a ball, trying to hide her tears from every Hunter in Beacon. She felt the brush of Weiss' silken sleeve around her neck, and Blake's firm hand on her back. "I'm sorry," She mumbled, "I'm so sorry."

"Ruby! Why are you sorry?" Weiss asked with a shaking voice. She sniffed, and Ruby knew that Weiss had her handkerchief out.

"This is my team." Ruby said, "I'm supposed to lead you guys. But I can't do anything."

"We're your team." Blake said, "We'll support you. We're here for you."

Weiss hiccupped, and said, "About that, I can't."

"What?" Blake's voice had an edge so sharp Ruby thought Weiss might start bleeding.

"I got a message from my dad." Weiss said, "He wants me to go home."

Ruby felt like her throat was being crushed. It ached and made her shiver, like a winter cold had seeped into her bones.

"Just say no." Blake said, "You're an adult now."  
"You… you don't understand." Weiss' voice was controlled in the same way shattered window stayed in its frame. Both kept the semblance of completion when the smallest touch would send them crashing to oblivion. "He's my dad. Before I came to Beacon, everything I did was because he let me. I can't just run away."

"Of course you could." Blake said, "We'd help you."

"You don't understand!" Weiss said, "I'm the _heiress_. Not just some random girl. I have responsibilities. I have the family name to think about."

"So Ruby's less important than your reputation?" Blake asked incredulously. "I can't believe you're still this selfish!"

"I won't be losing Ruby." Weiss said. She didn't raise her voice because she knew that doing so would cause her voice to break and she would lose the control she had fought for for so long. "We can still talk, and once this is over, I'll go back to Beacon, I promise."

"It's fine." Ruby mumbled. Both of her teammates looked at her, expecting her to elaborate.

She didn't.

Instead, the three of them sat there until everyone else had left and night had fallen. Ruby fell asleep there for a bit, and when she woke, she saw the moon gazing through the window at her. She idly wondered whether her dreams would include a huge wolf, but decided that she didn't care.

The three of them slept huddled in the corner of the main hall while the night passed on.

* * *

 **I hope that the gap between updates won't keep on getting longer and longer. Oh well, hope you enjoyed it. Once again, if you have any feedback or opinions on this story, please let me know.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

Yang paced her small cell in the vault of Beacon. She was in a stone room with metal lining, but these stones only glowed dully when she punched them, and try as she might, she couldn't break free. She had spent the first hour trying to punch her way out, but all she had accomplished was producing smoke and fire that choked her. She now sat on the floor of the cell, sweating and staring at the ceiling of her cell.

Her head throbbed with what felt like a strong blood rush as her body dealt with exhausting all her Aura at once. She blinked and was suddenly walking through Forever Fall, lashing out at any Grimm who tried to attack her. Spots in her eyes that blinked in and out of existence became spots of blood that splattered the forest floor.

"Raven, why are you doing this?" She murmured. Silence was her answer.

Raven hadn't answered her questions when they had talked either. Over the years, Yang had played through different reunions in her head. Sometimes she dreamed that her mom would hug her and say she loved her. Sometimes she dreamed that she'd track her mom down to a cabin in the wilderness. Sometimes she dreamed that she would save her mom from an attack on all sides by Grimm.

But she hadn't dreamed that her mom would act like it was no big deal. She hadn't dreamed that Raven would look her in the eye and say, _"I'm your mother,"_ and wait for her response.

" _That's it?"_ Yang had yelled after recovering from the shock, _"That's it!? Where have you been? How can you just come waltzing back in my life like nothing happened?"_

" _Something has been happening for a long time."_ Raven had said, _"But now some people have set the ball rolling."_

" _Where have you been?"_ Yang had yelled, _"You don't just get to come back into my life like you didn't abandon us!"_ Raven had taken them to the outskirts of Vale where abandoned buildings lined the streets.

" _I don't have the time."_ Raven had said, _"Ozpin watches everything here."_

Did Ozpin see her that night? Or was he too preoccupied with finding Raven? Did he see her run past branches that broke into flame as Yang brushed past them? Did he see her set Grimm dens on fire?

" _You don't have the time!"_ Fire had started flowing out of her shoulders, and Raven actually had the audacity to smile! _"Is that why you left me and dad? Because you didn't have time?"_

" _You look so much like your father."_ She had almost reached out, then stopped herself. _"But that's not what I meant. Please control yourself. Qrow will sense you."_

" _Qrow? You mean your brother that actually looked out for us? Cared for us?"_ Yang had stepped forward and loaded Ember Celica.

" _Why are you being so stubborn?"_ Raven had yelled, _"I'm trying to help!"_

" _Then give me answers!"_ Yang had yelled, _"Don't just talk like you know best, like you're my mom! Summer was my mom, not you!"_

" _This isn't about what I did seventeen years ago!"_ Raven yelled, _"Get over yourself and listen to me!"_

" _Why should I? You never even cared about me once!"_ Yang gathered as much Aura as Ember Celica could take and launched her cartridges at Raven. Moving so quick that Yang almost missed it, Raven sliced the bullets in two, letting the broken casings fizzle out beside her.

" _Remnant is in danger!"_ Raven yelled, _"Forget about your own issues for one second and take this in."_

" _If Remnant really is in danger, why are you talking to me?"_ Yang asked, _"Why not go straight to Ozpin? Why are you hiding from Qrow?"_

" _Because Ozpin is not who you think he is."_

" _He's done more for me than you have. He's been Ruby's mentor. He's kept Remnant safe for generations."_

Raven's eyebrows tilted into a sharp frown, and her red eyes seemed to glow like those of Grimm. _"Just listen to me! You only know half the story. We humans are broken, just like the Grimm."_

" _What are you even talking about?"_ Yang had gathered more Aura into her fists. Raven had gestured sharply at her to stop, saying, _"Quiet! Qrow will sense you. He's been trained too well."_

 _"Then why don't you actually tell me stuff?"_

Raven's eyes narrowed, but suddenly her expression then changed to one of frustration to one of fear. _"I've taken too long. He's coming."_ She dashed towards Yang and used her sword to slice open a portal. She withdrew her sword and pushed Yang through the portal in one motion. She let Yang fall through space while turning her back. The last thing she said felt like a chill spreading through Yang's entire body. _"If you think Ozpin's so great, ask him how your 'mom' died."_

Yang had fallen into Forever Fall and churned up crimson leaves as she fell backwards onto the forest floor. She curled up into a ball in the nook of a tree.

How could her mom do that? Was she really her mom? Why, why, why, why, _WHY_?

When the first Ursa came—attracted by Yang's anguish—Yang had thought it was a gift from the moon. She had sank her fist into its stomach, relishing the feeling of her fist sinking into fur, flesh, and whatever else Grimm were made of. She punched a third, then a fourth, and even more.

Soon, Yang stood on a mound of Ursa and Beowolf corpses, with a fefw Boarbatusks at her feet. She felt her body aching, felt her limbs trembling, felt her vision blurring, felt her head spinning, but she grasped onto her pain with a fervor. _This_ pain transferred to the force behind her punches. Her pain made her stronger, pain always did.

Until Raven had come.

A slot in the bottom of the door opened and shoved in a tray of oatmeal with a slab of unrecognizable meat. Yang lashed out at the metal door, but the rivets didn't even shake. She considered not eating but her rumbling stomach decided against it. She scoffed down the food and threw the tray against the door.

She huffed and paced back and forth, but the fire in her couldn't be quenched by simple pacing. Thoughts bounced around her brain, gaining momentum and causing her to yell out in frustration. _That_ was her mom? Someone who told her to _get over herself_?

It made sense when Yang thought about it. Only someone as thoughtless as Raven could leave her newborn child. Only someone like Raven would accuse Ozpin of…

No, Yang couldn't even think it. Only Raven would blame the death of her teammate on Ozpin. She should have asked him about it. Hear him deny the accusation.

But what if…

Yang punched the ground, causing the temperatures in the cell to rise to sweltering levels. No, she couldn't doubt Ozpin. What Raven said was just lies.

"Why is Ozpin keeping me locked up in this place?" She asked to herself. She stared up at the ceiling, imagining she could grasp the moon above her.

"Because he's worried." A deep and husky voice came from the other side of the door.

"Who is that?" Yang ran up to the door and started pounding on it.

"Yatsuhashi."

"Yatsuhashi?" Yang hadn't been expecting that at all. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on guard duty."

"Why? Where's the rest of your team?"

Silence followed, and Yang thought that Yatsuhashi wasn't going to answer. Then he said, "We're waiting in Beacon while Ozpin can find us a new member."

Yang was mentally and physically spent, so it took a few seconds for her to comprehend what Yatsuhashi had said. Then she gasped and said, "Dust, I'm so sorry." She placed her palm on the door which, seconds ago, she had been punching for all it had been worth. "Who was it?"

"Velvet." Suddenly, Yatsuhashi's short replies and husky voice made sense. Yang and her team hadn't been close to team CFVY, but everyone had seen the way Yatsuhashi would sometimes smile when Velvet excelled in a class, or the tender way he would regard her when they were together.

"I'm so sorry." Yang said again.

"You're not showing a good job of it." Yatsuhashi's words made Yang take a step back from the door.

"What?"

"I don't know what's going on." Yatsuhashi said, "Team CNDR, the Grimm, the Dust Slivers, any of it." There was another pause, and Yatsuhashi took a deep breath, as if he was trying to gather himself. "But Ozpin knows. And he can get us through this. He can make sure people like Velvet don't die. But only," Yatsuhashi's fist crashed into the door, "If people like you obey him."

Yang stared at the dent Yatsuhashi had made in the door. She felt the weight of Velvet's death hanging in the air. "How… how did she die?"

"A Panthera." Yatsuhashi said. "Those damn cats, they come running at you faster than a car. Velvet didn't want to use her weapon at first. She had been charging it for a while. But then it…" Yatsuhashi breathed in. "We tried to reattach Velvet's arm once the fight was over, but we couldn't. It got infected, turned black. Velvet, she was screaming. She cried so much."

Yatsuhashi's voice fell to a whisper that Yang could barely hear through the door. "She went mad within hours. Her veins turned black. Her eyes were red and swollen. She screamed about ashes falling from the sky. She screamed about great wolves eating away the earth. She screamed about the moon finally shattering."

Silence fell. Yang still had her hand pressed against the door and was crying with Yatsuhashi. She wanted to reassure Yatsuhashi, make him laugh or smile again. But how could she after that? She sat back down at a total loss of words and let the weight of a fallen comrade rest on her shoulders as she dozed off.

* * *

"Thank you, Yatsuhashi, you may leave." Yang's eyes darted open at Ozpin's voice. She heard the scraping of a chair and the footsteps of Yatsuhashi's retreating figure.

"Now then, Yang, have you thought more about divulging what happened last night?"

"No."

Ozpin sighed. "Yang, is there anything you would not do to protect your sister?"

"No." Yang wondered where this was going.

"No, there is not." Ozpin said, "Likewise, there is nothing I would not do to protect Remnant. I have been charged with a duty, and it is one that must be fulfilled."

"At the cost of murder?" Yang's eyes flashed from purple to crimson.

"Is there anything you would not do to protect your sister?" Ozpin repeated, "Would you not kill to keep her safe?"

"No." Yang said, "Ruby would hate me for that."

"But she would be alive." Ozpin said, "Is that not more important than how she regards you?"

"What are you trying to say?" Yang asked, "That you threaten and kill people for the greater good?"

"Yes."

"BULLSHIT!" Yang roared. The flames that erupted from her body cast a gigantic shadow that flickered and wavered on the dented cell door. "You killed my MOM for the greater good? What kind of logic is that? My mom was the greatest person I ever knew!"

"Is this what Raven told you?" Ozpin said, "That I killed Summer?"

"Yeah." Yang said, "And you don't seem to be denying it." She felt the heat in her cell rising to what would normally be unbearable temperatures, but she didn't care. It was nothing compared to the pulsating heat that was in her heart.

"Has it occurred to you that Raven wanted you in this turmoil?" Ozpin asked.

"Or maybe the reason you never trusted us was because you and my mom had this history."

"You take Raven's word over mine despite having just met her. Is this simply because she _told_ you she was your mother?"

It struck Yang that she had never questioned Raven's motherhood. It seemed as natural to Raven as being female; she simply _was._ Ozpin sensed Yang's hesitation and said, "Raven is a _criminal_." Ozpin said with emphasis, "I have worked for decades to preserve Remnant, and Raven is working against me, as she has for years."

Yang still didn't answer, and Ozpin said, "I implore of you, Yang, what did Raven tell you?"

"We got interrupted by uncle Qrow." Yang said reluctantly, "She didn't say anything."

"Don't lie to me, Yang." Ozpin said.

Yang stepped back in shock. "I'm not lying, I swear."

"You were missing for hours." Ozpin said, "Raven had you for hours, and you say Qrow interrupted you?"

"I didn't spend hours with Raven, only a few minutes before Qrow spotted us."

"I'm sorry, Yang, but Remnant has not survived for over a century by ignoring threats." Ozpin said, "I will do anything and everything to protect Remnant. As I recall, you said you would do the same to protect Ruby."

"Don't you DARE!" Yang frantically punched the wall, doing no more than the first dozens of punches she had thrown. "Ruby has NOTHING to do with this. Let her go!"

"Ruby's fate, along with Remnant's fate, depends on these events now." Ozpin said, "What did Raven tell you?"

"Nothing!" Yang yelled in between her punches flying at the door. "Nothing! At! All!

"I want to believe you, Yang, I do." Ozpin said, "But too much rides on my shoulders."

With that, Ozpin left and Yang was reduced to spending her Aura futilely slapping at the unyielding door.

* * *

"Hey, Weiss?"

Weiss murmured something unintelligible. Ruby had awoken with her head resting on Weiss' shoulder. "Are you awake?"

"No."

Ruby smiled slightly before shivering. The hall had gotten chilly in the night. Judging by the position of the moon, it was around two in the morning. "You can go with your family for now. It's okay."

Weiss already had her arm around Ruby's waist and now pulled her tightly towards her. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Ruby said, "You'll be back."

"I just feel like nothing's changed." Weiss said, "I'm still the scared little girl that does whatever her dad tells her."

"The old Weiss would have ditched her team without a second thought." Ruby said, "You've changed for the better, Weiss. You're a great teammate."

"You're a great team leader, Ruby." Weiss said.

Ruby started drifting off while she leaned on Weiss' chest, but then the doors to the main hall suddenly opened and Atlasian guards lead by Coco and Fox marched in. Ruby and Weiss jerked apart, taking in Coco's angry strides that were so different from her former carefree gait. She had once conversed with Grimm before slamming it into the ground with style, but now it looked like she would brutally rip apart a Grimm and look for seconds.

"We need Ruby to come with us." Coco said. She stood with her hands on her hips while Ruby slowly got to her feet.

"Why?"

"Ozpin needs you." Coco said, "Come on."

"And why, I wonder, does Ozpin send Atlasian soldiers as an escort?" Oobleck strode past the guards and leaned his face closer to Coco. Zwei padded along by his heels. "Surely Ozpin is not worried about Ruby's safety within Beacon's very walls."

"What are you doing here?" Coco asked.

"I have just finished recovering from my mission." Oobleck said, "The night sky relaxes me, or at least it does until I see a platoon of Atlasian soldiers marching past me."

"It's none of your business, Oobleck." Coco didn't flinch from Oobleck's stare.

"Ruby and Weiss are my very esteemed students." Oobleck said, "Of course it concerns me. Now, why would Ozpin send guards for Ruby and only Ruby? Weiss is meant to leave in a few days. Is Ozpin planning on detaining Ruby for that long?"

"With all due respect," Coco started to speak, but Oobleck cut her off. "Sentences that start with that prefix rarely end respectfully. But I digress, why does Ozpin want Ruby. Does it have anything to do with her incarcerated sister?"

"Let us pass." Fox hadn't said anything up until then, but now he gathered dense Aura into his arms. "We will use force if necessary."

Oobleck regarded Fox's haggard face and desperate need for action with solemnity. "I am truly sorry for your loss."

"What loss?" Ruby asked, but Oobleck gestured for her to be quiet. Unfortunately, Weiss didn't take the hint. "How dare you order us around like this? We aren't criminals."

Fox surged forward and grasped Weiss' arm tightly. She winced at his tight grip, then stumbled as he yanked her away from Ruby. Oobleck came and forcefully ripped Fox away from Weiss. "Your grief is no excuse for using force and intimidation to get your way."

"You're a history teacher, Oobleck." Fox said, "We would have graduated this year as fighters. True Hunters of Beacon. Don't test us."

"I am a teacher," Oobleck said, "Testing you is my job." He looked back at Ruby and Weiss, who had both withdrawn their weapons. "As is protecting my students."

"Sorry, Oobleck, but you don't have authority here." Coco tried to brush past him, but suddenly paused as Zwei latched onto her leg.

"Ah, my faithful companion!" Oobleck said, "I must thank your father, Ruby, he has trained a most excellent pet, capable of channeling his own Aura."

Coco grunted and tried kicking Zwei away, but the dog growled and bit into Coco's trousers.

While Coco was distracted, Oobleck thrust his palm into Coco's chest so fast that it seemed Coco had stumbled back of her own free will. Fox ran to Coco's side, but she swiftly gestured him to step back. "Soldiers, hold the perimeter. Fox and I will handle this."

"We will run." Oobleck said in a low voice to Ruby and Weiss. I will create an opening. Make the best of it."

They nodded as Zwei jumped onto Oobleck's shoulder with a short bark. Oobleck decompressed his thermos, then used it as a bat to send Zwei hurtling towards Coco and Fox. The two Hunters tried to flank Oobleck, but Ruby and Weiss were already running past them.

The main hall shuddered as Zwei crashed through the walls enshrouded in streams of crimson fire. Atlasian robots tried to stop them, but Ruby and Weiss made quick work of them as they jumped through the flaming crater Zwei and Oobleck had made.

Ruby looked behind her to see if Oobleck would catch up, but as she did so, Oobleck's coat whipped her in the face as he yelled, "Don't worry about me, girls!" He gulped down the Dust essence in his thermos and thrust it into Ruby's hands.

Ruby gulped down a fiery liquid that seemed to strip her throat, but suddenly felt that burning heat race through her veins and back through her arteries. Her vision shook and suddenly the colors seemed to be more vivid and stand out. Ruby gasped as Oobleck plucked it from her hands and suddenly _ran_. She had thought that she had been running before, but nothing could prepare her for the exhilaration she felt as the world seemed to rush past her.

Weiss soared next to her in a pale nimbus shrouding her. Ruby could _see_ Aura flow through Weiss' body and eject itself in the form of a glyph. Weiss' blue eyes became beacons that seemed dazzling in the pitch-black sky.

Then a streak of earthy brown passed by Ruby and she saw Oobleck leading the way. He pulsated with life the same way the soil beneath her pulsed as it gave life to new plants. He led them somewhere, though Ruby had lost all sense of direction. There was just the present, the glorious and _real_ present where she could almost taste the colors and see Aura across the earth.

Ruby only realized they had been running for almost an hour when Oobleck stopped and she saw the sunrise. The effect of Oobleck's Dust essence was wearing off, but she was still mesmerized by the diaphanous swirls and streaks of color that were being flaunted on the horizon.

"Well, girls, I suppose it is time we appraised the situation." Oobleck said. "We are now fugitives from Beacon."

"We left Yang!" Ruby said, whirling back. She was shocked to see that Beacon—and any sign of civilization—was nowhere to be seen. They stood on a small ridgeline with a river nestled in wide valley below them.

"There was nothing we could do," Oobleck said, "Freeing her would be unfeasible given Ozpin's presence."

"We also left Blake." Weiss was doubled over and panting. "What's she going to do?"

"I did not sense or see Blake," Oobleck said, "And I suspect she may be hiding herself. She has much experience in that matter."

"But Yang's still in jail." Ruby said, "We need to get her out."

"And we will," Oobleck said, "But not while Ozpin and the others are on high alert. Ozpin believes Yang has information, and will not kill her until he believes otherwise."

Ruby wanted to protest but suddenly felt so drowsy she would have fallen to the ground had Oobleck not dashed to her side to catch her. Ruby heard him say, "Withdrawal symptoms are perfectly normal, girls." After that she fell asleep.

* * *

"Yang!" Blake's hushed voice came from the other side of the door.

Yang sprang to her feet. She had been simmering on the ground after spending her Aura for what seemed like hours. Images of Ruby being dragged to a cell like this one made her skin burn with fury.

"Blake! How did you get here?" Yang pressed her hand to the door that was still warm from her assault.

"I still haven't forgotten the espionage I learnt with Adam. I waited until I saw Ozpin return to his office, then came down here." Blake said. She unlocked the door and Yang jumped over to hug Blake. Blake returned the hug for a second before flinching away. "Yang! You're burning up."

It was only when Yang felt the chilly air of the prison that she realized just how hot she had made her cell. Blake stepped away from the sweltering air that came billowing out, dropping the keys on Yatsuhashi's unconscious body. "I snuck up on him. I used a quarter of my Aura. We all know how tough he is."

"I don't think he's as tough as people think." Yang murmured. The memory of Yatsuhashi's brittle voice flashed through her memory, but she thought of Ozpin and his threats to banish her guilt. The rage she felt focused her, though her eyes didn't turn red because her Aura was depleted.

"Ruby, Weiss and Oobleck are on the run." Blake said. "I don't know why, but Coco and Fox tried to take them in. Oobleck helped them escape."

"What?" Yang turned and started to sprint up the stairs. Blake held her back and said, "They're gone. I had to dodge past Atlasian patrols as well as half the Hunters here."

"So where did they go?"

"Didn't you hear me?" Blake said, "I don't know. We can find out later, but right now we need to go, okay?" She handed Yang her weapons.

Yang grudgingly nodded, and the two girls ran up to the surface. Blake's ears were twitching in every direction, and she would jump at the slightest noise Yang didn't make.

The two girls slipped towards the cliffs of Beacon facing the sea. The silence made Yang's head turn at the slightest sound, including her own footsteps. Blake seemed to glide across the asphalt floor, making Yang's footsteps seem like hammers on anvils. Yang did her best, but as they passed through the kitchens, Yang ran right past a patrol of six coming out of adjoining doors.

Yang started in surprise, but Blake was already slicing at one, attacking all the joints where the armor was weak. Yang's approach was slightly different. She grabbed one robot and threw it to the ground, emptying out cartridges that ripped the metal head apart. Her depleted Aura made it harder, but she made quick work of another two. She looked around to see Blake finish off the others.

Blake sharply beckoned for Yang to follow, and she started to run. Yang was surprised at the sudden speed, but was able to keep up. "Why are we running?" Yang panted.

"Robots almost always have alarms when they go down." Blake said, "And you weren't exactly subtle."

The two of them started to head down some stairs, but were cut off on the bottom by robot soldiers. The two girls backtracked through a corridor and burst out of a window. They fell into bushes and scrambled away. Blake led them to a small road where supplies were regularly brought in. She walked over to a dark lump covered by a dark green tarp.

For the first time in twenty four hours, Yang felt a small tang of joy. Underneath the tarp was her motorbike, Bumblebee. It had been moved to this very spot with the keys in the ignition. Yang turned to Blake and said, "You planned this all out, didn't you?"

Blake waited for Yang to get on before jumping behind her. "I didn't know Ruby and Weiss would draw Ozpin's attention away from here. We wouldn't have had a chance of Qrow was watching us. That's the only reason we've gotten this far"

Yang revved the bike and Blake held onto her waist. They heard the several jeeps being turned on, and Bumblebee took off as fast as Yang dared down the steep mountain path.

* * *

 **Well, I think that this chapter came out a little sooner than the last. Hopefully? Anyways, things are really kicking off now, so if you have any opinions about what's happened, feel free to tell me. The faster and more intense things get, the more I want to know whether I'm pulling it off or not.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

Ruby woke up and saw Weiss' angular jawline. She also woke with a rock digging into her ribcage. She slowly turned her head and found herself in the middle of a shallow dip in the ground next to a river. She dipped her hand into it and withdrew it quickly. The water was freezing.

"You're up. Good." Oobleck unfurled from the ground above Ruby where he had camouflaged himself. He spoke in his usual rapid-fire tone, but it was quiet and hushed. Ruby resisted the urge to shrink back and hold Weiss' hand. The low volume of Oobleck's voice turned it from something comical and confident to something urgent and intense. "Your body will feel the Drag, but we must start soon."

"What's the Drag?" Ruby asked. She tried to stand up but her body suddenly erupted in pain and she fell back down. Zwei licked her knee in concern.

"That is the Drag." Oobleck said, "A term used for withdrawal symptoms felt after abusing Dust fluid."

"Why don't you have it?" Ruby croaked. Beside her, Weiss stirred and moaned softly as she felt the Drag as well.

"Your entire body is a muscle when Aura is concerned." Oobleck said, "I have trained my body for years. I could abuse Dust Fluid for a week before feeling any sort of Drag."

Ruby and Weiss staggered to their feet and Oobleck handed them his thermos. They looked at it dubiously, but he said, "Simply stream water. Dehydration is a huge concern."

Ruby drank up and realized how thirsty she was. She gulped down the frigid water until her head ached, then kept on drinking until the water dribbled down her chin and onto her skirt. She handed the flask to Oobleck, who refilled it and gave it to Weiss. Weiss quickly downed the entire thermos without dripping and held it out to Oobleck for a refill.

As Weiss drank her second thermos, Oobleck put a moist cube the size of Ruby's ammunition clips into her hand. Ruby looked down at it in slight revulsion.

"Hunter food." Oobleck said, "These are normally not given to students, and even Hunters are advised to only eat these in emergencies."

Ruby bit in and screwed up her face as the cube dissolved in her mouth and spread a salty burn around her tongue. She swallowed and ate the rest of her rations as quickly as possible. Within seconds she felt her vision clear and the ache in her muscles even lessened slightly.

She went to the stream and gulped down more water to wash out the salty tang. Behind her, Weiss was making a very unladylike face as she forced down Oobleck's rations.

"As I said last night," Oobleck said, "We need to assess the situation."

"We're running away from Ozpin, who's holding Yang prisoner." Ruby said, "That's all we need."

"Your familial dedication is admirable, but it clouds your judgment." Oobleck said, "You still have a team, Ruby, even if not all of your team members are with you."

Ruby looked at Weiss guiltily, then nodded. "So what do we do?"

"While this would undoubtedly make a good learning experience and test your leadership skills, Ozpin is not to be trifled with." Oobleck said. "I would propose that we make our way to Mountain Glenn, where we can infiltrate our way back into Vale."

"But the tunnels were all sealed." Ruby said.

"The train tunnels were," Oobleck said, "But the maintenance tunnels were not, and run adjacent to the train tunnels like tributaries around a river."

"So they go to Vale?"

"At the very least they will bring us to the outskirts of Vale." Oobleck said. "And far quicker than Ozpin will think."

"Alright, then." Ruby said, "We're going to save Yang and Blake soon."

Weiss nodded and they started to walk briskly towards Mountain Glenn.

They made slow progress compared to the night before. Ruby and Weiss hobbled after Oobleck for the first fifteen minutes before they got used to dealing with the Drag. Both girls started groaning under their breath as Oobleck brought them up a rocky valley, where each step sent pebbles skittering downwards.

Zwei ran ahead and scouted the way. Twice, he barked and Oobleck changed the direction they were headed in.

After walking for a few hours, all of them were sweating despite the brisk breeze that blew through the rough valley. It was early afternoon, and they sat on large rocks while Oobleck offered more rations.

Both Ruby and Weiss declined them. "How far did we run last night?" Ruby asked.

"A hundred kilometres or so." Oobleck said.

Ruby gaped. "We can't get to Mountain Glenn today!"

"Correct."

"But Yang and Blake might be captured as we speak."

"Then that is something we cannot change." Oobleck said. "Part of being a leader is knowing what you can do and what you cannot, then doing the best you can from there."

Ruby fell silent and she tried to push away her doubts. What would Jaune have done? Would he have even let himself be separated from his team? She couldn't imagine Jaune running while Nora and Ren were in danger.

Weiss held her hand. "I know that look, Ruby. You'll attract Nevermores if you keep on going the way you are."

"I just want to be together again."

"I know. So do I." Weiss smiled, and Ruby thought the hope Weiss displayed was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Look so confident."

"We Schnees have our ways." Weiss rubbed the scar over her eye. "A lot of years of practice."

Ruby rested her head against Weiss' shoulder. "One day you'll have to teach me."

"I hope I never have to."

Ruby was about to ask Weiss what she meant when she got a thrill of energy down her spine. Forgetting the dull aches in her body, she jumped away and unsheathed _Crescent Rose_ from behind her back. Oobleck had also sensed the danger and had his thermos fully extended.

"Few people know that Dust fluid leaves traces of ambient Aura, and fewer know how to trace it." Qrow fell from the sky and landed several metres up the valley. "I'm not surprised that bit of information slipped you by, professor."

"Girls, run. The longer we wait, the quicker Ozpin will get here." Oobleck said.

"Ruby, why are you doing this?" Qrow asked, "Why are you acting so irrationally?"

"Don't listen and run!" Oobleck yelled, "He's trying to stall for Ozpin."

He dashed forward and swung at Qrow, but Qrow's scythe seemed to appear out of nowhere and forced Oobleck back. The blade of Qrow's scythe wasn't as large as Ruby's, but he unleashed a flurry of quick slashes that made Ruby's sweeps and cuts look sluggish.

"Run!" Oobleck said, "Quickly."

"You're a historian, you're not a fighter." Qrow said, "You don't know what it's like to fight Grimm every day, to defend humanity!" He leapt over Oobleck to attack from behind, but Oobleck dashed away and took the chance to take another gulp of Dust fluid.

"Knowledge is the most powerful weapon available to us." Oobleck's thermos became a ribbon of pulsing fire as he swung it in spirals towards Qrow. "Ozpin weakens us by withholding information."

"Your ideals are only possible by the work the real soldiers do." Qrow said. Instead of leaping to the side of the explosive wreathes of fire, he jumped and soared through them. "The world you study is nothing more than a dream civilians are allowed to believe."

Qrow's scythe glowed a deep crimson and he sent a shockwave that split the flames apart and headed straight for Oobleck. Oobleck twisted to one side and was just able to raise his thermos and parry Qrow's scythe. The blow sent him stumbling backwards, and he had to jump away again as Qrow's scythe nicked his shoulder.

Qrow soared into the sky and descended upon Oobleck while he clutched his wounded shoulder, but when he hit the ground, Oobleck was gone. Ruby was clutching his waist and looking defiantly at Qrow, while Weiss held _Myrtenaster_ with its tip point straight towards Qrow.

"You still have a future, girls." Qrow said, "You can live. Why throw away your lives now?"

"Because even if I came out of this alive, I couldn't live with myself if I let Oobleck die." Weiss said. She swished her rapier in a circle and sent fireballs soaring towards Qrow.

Qrow started walking slowly but deliberately towards her, casually slashing through the fire that Weiss sent at him. "I have spent my life dedicated to protecting humanity, Ms. Schnee. I don't want to harm you." He dashed forward and his scythe flashed past Weiss' eye in a flash.

Weiss stumbled back, and held her rapier in her normal battle stance, but her mouth dropped when she saw that she only carried the handle. Tears started to form as she saw Qrow hold the blade of _Myrtenaster_ in his hand. He threw the blade tip first at Weiss feet, where it jutted into the air like a spire commemorating her weakness.

"Let Ozpin come." Qrow said, "He'll be lenient with you." He extended his hand to the girls, but yelled in pain as a figure in black and red sped past him out of nowhere. Ruby gagged as she saw two of Qrow's fingertips fall to the ground, leaking out an inordinate amount of blood.

Qrow clutched his bleeding left hand to his chest while positioning his scythe so that it shielded most of his body. "Damn you, Raven. First you corrupt Yang and now Ruby? Did you take pleasure from ruining our family?"

Ruby's heart froze as she saw a tall woman with a Grimm mask and the longest katana she had ever seen stalk towards Qrow. "You have no right to talk about family, Qrow. _Summer_ was our family."

Qrow let a feral growl escape from his mouth and yelled, " _YOU_ were the one who killed her! She was _FINE_ until you came back into our lives! You corrupted her just like you're corrupting her daughters."

Raven dashed over to Qrow, slashing so quickly Qrow had to fly back several metres. She kept her aggressive stance, with both hands on her katana and her legs bent. But then she turned away and slashed at the air. It rippled and split into a swirling black portal, and she gestured the three of them to follow.

Oobleck looked at the Aura gathering around Qrow, which was turning such a dark crimson it was almost black. He nodded and ushered the girls into the portal.

As Ruby was about to step in, she balked. She felt as if it was made of the same darkness the wolf in her dreams was. She felt as if she was walking straight into the maw of the giant wolf that had swallowed the moon.

But then she was pushed through and enveloped in darkness.

She emerged on a glacier. She had to squint because of the blinding sunshine being reflected off the snow, and she was already shivering from the cold. Weiss was doing better with the cold, but her eyes were also screwed shut against the glare of the sun.

"What's going on? And who are you?" Ruby asked Raven.

"I sent someone to pick you up." Raven said, "But I need to go look for Yang and Blake, as well as run a dozen other errands."

"They're still in Beacon." Ruby said.

"No, they're not. I went to break Yang out, but she had already done that." Raven said, "That was when I realized Qrow was hunting you."

"Your timing was impeccable." Oobleck said, "But we still have little reason to trust you when we have only met you once and attacked Qrow."

"I don't expect you to." Raven said, "What you do next is up to you."

With that, she disappeared into another black portal. Ruby shivered again as it disappeared, but this time it wasn't from the cold.

* * *

When Blake had mentioned a safehouse, Yang had imagined an underground lair, or a bunker with weapons in it. She hadn't expected Blake to direct her to the old suburbs of Vale where people only came to if they had no other option in the city. Yang spotted three varieties of suspicious plants growing along the side of the road.

Blake had her stop at a small wooden house with peeling plaster and more mold on the walls than faded paint. Instead of going through the rotting porch and front door, Blake skirted around to the back where she entered a rusted door that creaked as she forced it open.

"What is this place?" Yang asked.

Blake didn't answer, instead disappearing into the cellar. Yang followed her and winced as her leather boot crunched on broken glass. "Blake, I can't see."

"Oh, I forgot. Sorry." Yang stumbled towards Blake's voice. She bumped into what felt like a wooden table, then crunched on some more glass. Light then streamed through as Blake opened the door that led upstairs.

"What is this place?" Yang asked again.

"I don't want to talk about it." Blake said, "But Ozpin won't find us here."

Yang was too preoccupied to prod further. She sat down in the corner next to a crate of canned beans. She took out her scroll and was about to check if Ruby had contacted her, but Blake's ribbon snatched it out of her hand.

"What are you doing?" Blake smashed the scroll against the wall and stomped on it repeatedly.

"What am _I_ doing?" Yang asked, "What are _you_ doing?"

"These scrolls are from _Beacon_." Blake said, "There's no way Ozpin can't track this."

"Sorry I haven't a fugitive before." Yang said. She groaned and lay her head against the wall. She wanted something to do. She wanted to be active. She had sat around uselessly for an entire night, and she didn't want to spend another one doing the same thing.

"But you're right," Blake said, "We need to check sources for Ruby. And I need to talk to Sun."

"Sun?" Yang tried to smile and managed to tilt her lips up slightly. "I never took you for the long-distance type."

"I got some messages from him when we came back last night." Blake said, "He said there's some trouble up in Haven."

"Yeah, we should also try to find Ruby." Yang started to walk towards the door, but Blake intercepted her.

"You still haven't talked about what happened to you."  
"Nothing, it's fine." Yang felt her chest clench and started to walk out.

"No, Yang, you can't do this to me." Blake said, "You were gone for all of yesterday, and then you attack _Ozpin_?" Blake got up and stood over Yang. "I need to know what's going on."

"It doesn't matter!" Yang tried to push past Blake, but she still hadn't regained much of her Aura, and Blake was able to push her back.

"Yes, it does!" Blake said, "You just don't want to talk about it."

"No, I don't!" Yang said, "Now we need to go find Ruby."

"You can't." Blake said, "You physically can't." She stepped forward and shoved Yang back to the dusty floor.

"That doesn't matter." Yang said, "I have to protect Ruby."

"She isn't a little girl," Blake said, "She's our leader. We need to trust her."

"Ozpin had her!" Yang said, "He said he was going to take her hostage! I won't abandon her, not after-" She cut herself off and tried to think of a way to change the topic.

Blake looked sharply at Yang. "What is it?"

"Not after my mom just left me like that." Yang said.

"I thought you had gotten over that." Blake rested a hand on Yang's shoulder. "You told me you weren't obsessed with her."

"No, not when she left when I was born." Yang took a deep breath. "I met her last night."

Blake's jaw dropped. "When?"

"The night I went missing, okay?" Yang sat back down. "She told me that Ozpin killed…" She took a shuddering breath and tried again. "That Ozpin…" Her chest was trembling against her will. She was breathing harder and harder, and felt light headed. "That Ozpin… Ozpin… he…Summer…"

Blake grabbed Yang's arm. "Hey, I'm here. Look at me."

Yang stared into Blake's amber eyes and started to sob into her shoulder. She crushed Blake in her embrace, but Blake didn't pull away. She could still feel Yang's body convulsing.

"You should have told us." Blake said softly. "We would have been there for you."

"I couldn't tell Ruby." Yang said, "I couldn't. How would you do it? How…" Yang's tears started to trickle down Blake's own shoulder.

Yang stood there, clutching at Blake for a few more minutes, then wiped her eyes. "Okay, next time I see Raven, I'm going to punch her as hard as I can."

Blake let out a small chuckle. "After all that, _that's_ what you're going to do?"

Yang smiled. "It'll give me something to look forward to. Besides, she just came and left, what kind of mom was that, right?"

"Right." Blake said.

"You guys are my family." Yang clenched her fist quickly, causing sparks to fly from between her fingers. "Not Raven. She abandoned me. And my dad. He's my family too. I have to trust him."

"You might, but I'm not comfortable with it. Please, Yang, for me. There has to be someone else."

"But-"

"It's not even a matter of trust. Ozpin will be expecting you to go to your dad. We need somewhere else. He knows how much you trust your dad."

Yang nodded. "Fine. He'd be worried sick if he knew what was happening."

Blake nodded while Yang thought for a bit more. Then she said, "We'll go to Junior."

Blake nodded. "Okay, but we need to wait here for a few hours."

Yang was already being overcome by exhaustion, and instead of yelling, she just glared at Blake.

"If we go out right after we escaped, we'll get caught in no time." Blake said, "People in Vale have the lunch hour off, right? We'll go to Junior's then, after the initial search has died down. There will be lots of people to hide us"

"We can't wait that long." Yang shook her head wearily.

"If Ozpin did capture her, then he won't harm her." Blake said, "Hostages aren't the ones that are harmed, it's us. And if she is caught, we need to go about this smartly."

Yang stomped the ground in frustration, but even with all the pent-up emotions, only a small spark flashed from her feet. "Fine, but only until noon."

"Thanks." Blake said. She stood up and started to walk out of the basement.

"Where are you going?" Yang asked.

"Hiding Bumblebee." Blake said. "I'm also checking that there aren't any tracers on it."

Yang's stomach rumbled. "Can I eat from these cans?"

"Yeah." Blake left Yang trying to pry open the cans without a can opener. Yang started punching the can, but without her Aura, she only succeeded in denting it. Yang sighed and regretted wasting all of her Aura on useless Grimm and her cell door. She leaned back against the wall, and thought of where Ruby could have run off to. She remembered playing tag with Ruby, and always yelling at her when Ruby would crawl into a pile of rocks that Yang couldn't fit through.

With those thoughts in mind, she started to dream of better times when she and Ruby were together and got the sleep her body had been yearning for.

* * *

When Yang had first come to Junior's Den, she had been ignored. The second time, she had had dozens of guns pointed at her. The third time, a henchman quickly ushered her and Blake outside and in through an unobtrusive backdoor.

Junior was sitting in a seat next to several laptops, televisions, and filing cabinets. The Malachite twins stood next to him in their spiked heels with their arms folded. "Blondie, why am I not surprised."

"What do you mean?" Yang asked.

Junior flipped a laptop to face Yang. It was an email from the police chief to his officers which said,

 _"Rogue Hunter team RWBY is highly trained and dangerous. An encounter with any of them will be reported to Beacon immediately."_

Below that was logistics of police formations. Blake was reading over her shoulder and said, "This police deployment is meant for dangerous terrorists. Ozpin's really serious about this."

"And you would know about standard police deployment?" Junior asked.

Blake nodded once but didn't say anything else. Both knew that Junior was one of the most well-known informants in Vale, and Blake was in no hurry to tell anyone—especially Junior—about her past. Yang looked up at Junior and asked, "How did you get this?"

"I have contacts." Junior said, "But that's not what's important. By the way, where's the rest of your team?"

Blake and Yang hesitated, and Junior didn't miss it. "So you got split up, huh?"  
"Yeah, and we need your help finding them."

"I tried already." Junior said, "I tried finding all of you, just in case someone else came along and asked."

"Gee, thanks." Yang said.

"Hey, it's nothing personal." Junior said, "But anyways, I didn't get anything. It's all being covered up, and coming from me, that's saying a lot."

Yang sighed. "I don't know why I come to you. It's not like you ever help me anyways."

"Hey, I've got contacts in all the local gangs here and in Haven, but last time you had me looking into _Torchwick_ of all people. I've got limits, kid."

"I didn't know Torchwick had a reputation here." Yang said, "I thought he was just a goon."

"That's what he seems to be." Junior said, "But a few informants know that there's something weird with him. His records are the best I've ever seen. He looks completely genuine. But me and a buddy of mine think everything about him's a little too convenient. His home town was destroyed in the Faunus Rights Revolution. His parents also died in the war, and no one from his village survived. His previous employer died from a car crash. And he's risen too fast for a simple thug with no training."

"He also has Aura." Yang said, "That's not something you see in most thugs."

Junior nodded. "That's another thing. There are only a few people in each of the cities that can illegally unlock Aura. And no one knows who did it for him."

Yang felt as if a cold stone was settling into her stomach as she thought of Torchwick sitting in the depths of Beacon. If he really was some master strategist, then what could he do in Beacon?

"Well, is there anything else?" Yang asked.

"Well, I'm assuming you need supplies." Junior said, "I've prepared some stuff you could use."

"We're good, thanks." Blake said, "Come on, Yang, let's go."

"Hey, I've still got some more info."

"On what?" Yang asked.

"It's a long story."

Blake narrowed her eyes. "You're stalling."

Junior tried to act innocent, but Blake saw the way the Malachite twins tensed.

Blake tried to leave, but the Malachite twins formed an X with their legs, stopping Blake in her tracks.

"What's going on?" Yang asked.

"He's selling us out."

"What?" Yang turned to Junior in surprise, who sent the table flying at Yang while he whipped out his rocket launcher. Yang kicked the table away and launched herself at Junior.

Behind them, Blake sent two images of herself—one towards each twin— and used their distraction to club one in the head with the pommel of _Gambol Shroud._ She then unleashed a flurry of shadows to confuse the remaining twin, catching her off guard and sending her crashing into the wall.

Behind her, Yang was staring down Junior. To his credit, he didn't back down. He hefted his huge rocket launcher and got ready to fight.

"Yang, we have to go." Blake grabbed Yang's arm as she swung it back. "Hunters are coming." She opened the door and could hear the hum of Bullheads in the distance.

Yang took a hateful look at Junior, who said, "As I said, blondie, nothing personal."

Yang growled but followed Blake out into the streets. They quickly got on Bumblebee and Yang hit the pedal before Blake had even wrapped her hands around her waist. Yang tore through roads, leaving skid marks on every junction.

The two of them were about to turn onto the highway, but Yang had to swerve sharply as four figures ran into the road and formed a barricade.

The two of them skidded into a building as Yang avoided crashing into the Hunters at full speed. Bumblebee tumbled into a building as Blake and Yang sprang to their feet. They drew their weapons and saw Cardin striding towards them with his mace swinging like a pendulum.

"CRDL?" Yang asked, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Securing the perimeter." Cardin said. His eyes were set and as hard as concrete. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Get out of our way." Blake said.

"Are you guys kids?" Cardin and his team spread out to corner Yang and Blake against the wall. "Do you think you can just do whatever the hell you want?"

"Do you think we want to be on the run?" Yang asked.

"You tried to punch Ozpin." Lark flourished his knives and tried to flank Blake. "You threw a tantrum when we're in a war."

"You don't understand." Yang said, "Just get out of our way!" She ran towards Cardin, firing off an explosive cartridge in his direction

"I'm the leader of team CRDL." Cardin jumped over the explosion and swung his mace at Yang. She blocked the first blow, but had to jump back to avoid being skewered by Russell's halberd.

"You think I'll risk my team for one bimbo who thinks she's the centre of Remnant? You think I'll let one dirty Faunus endanger us?" Cardin's mace became a red blur as he swung it in several circular motions. Yang would normally charge head on to break his rhythm, but knew that Russell would jump in while she engaged Cardin.

She stepped away from Cardin, backing into the wall Bumblebee had crashed into. She looked down at her beloved vehicle that was lying dented and scratched in the rubble.

She had had to hide it from her dad. He would have literally blown up if he knew his daughter was riding something like that. She had brought the parts herself and crashed the first time she rode it. She had crashed, of course, but she had only been fourteen.

Steeling her heart, she jumped up and fired _Ember Celica_ at Bumblebee. Her motorcycle erupted into a bomb of metal shrapnel, oil and fire. The blast propelled her to the roof of the building she had crashed into, while Cardin and Russell stumbled away. Their Aura had protected them from the shrapnel and fire, but it had still stunned their senses.

Yang looked around for Blake, but she and the other members of team CRDL weren't there. She looked up and saw three Bullheads heading away from her. She realized Blake must have distracted them somehow as she had been fighting Dove and Lark. She prepared to launch herself forward, but was held back by a firm grip on her shoulder.

Yang whirled around only to look up into the mask belonging to the White Fang Lieutenant.

"Come with us." The lieutenant raised his hand to block Yang's punch that was aimed for his neck. "Things have changed."

Yang turned as the three Bullheads crashed to the ground. Even from a kilometre away, Yang could feel the heat of the explosion. "You just crashed those over Vale!"

"Just shut up and listen." The Lieutenant tried to grab her, but Yang threw a punch that forced the Lieutenant to jump to the adjacent roof.

 _Forget about your own issues for one second…_

Raven's voice gave Yang strength in the form of raw anger. She still hadn't fully recovered, but she still let out enough Aura to create a ring of fire around her. She put her fists up as the Lieutenant revved his giant chainsaw. Then the world world swam and shimmered. The building beneath her turned a brilliant shade of pink before gradually darkening and growing larger.

It was only when Yang hit the ground that she realized she was paralyzed.

"This is hardly the time for negotiation, Lieutenant." A female voice echoed in Yang's head.

The Lieutenant picked her up. "I'm sorry, Scorpio."

"Taurus is taking care of the other target." Scorpio said. The two of them jumped down to street level and got into a car. Lieutenant dumped Yang into the backseat and Scorpio got in the seat next to her limp body. As Lieutenant started driving, Yang tried to crane her neck to get a better view of Scorpio.

She couldn't move her body, and could only see two small legs as the car moved. She tried to struggle against the poison, but it was as if her limbs belonged to someone else.

Her body suddenly flopped off the seat as the car screeched to a halt. Scorpio swore and dived out the window, dragging Yang with her as she tumbled to the ground. Yang's face hit the ground, and all she could see was the cracked pavement.

Lieutenant slung her over his shoulder, and now Yang could see under his arm. Her body was numb, but she still felt a jolt of shock and happiness when she saw a huge figure seven feet tall and muscles even larger than the Lieutenant's.

"Let Yang go!" Her dad emitted harsh light that was as bright as the sun. He towered over Scorpio, who didn't even come up to his waist. From this angle, Yang could see the scorpion tail that protruded from her hips.

"Ozpin's knight in shining armor." Scorpio said. She sprang at Tai Yang as Lieutenant ran away.

"No you don't." Tai Yang jumped over Scorpio and descended on Lieutenant like a meteor. Lieutenant jumped away, but he was still sent flying by the shockwave Tai Yang created. He dropped Yang as he flew into the wall and fell on his knees. He raised his fists as Tai Yang charged towards him, but he wasn't Tai Yang's target.

Yang was jerked away from the Lieutenant and Scorpio as her dad grabbed her by the waist and jumped away from the battle. The numbness around her body was slowly fading, and she could feel how tightly her dad was holding her. "It's okay, Yang, I've got you. You're safe now."

She saw a few tears fall from her dad's face as he said, "I was so worried. Dust, it's a good thing Qrow's looking for Ruby. I wouldn't trust anyone else."

Yang tried to tilt her head to look back at Vale, but she couldn't see any sign of Blake. All she could do was hang limply from her dad's hands as they flew back to Beacon.

* * *

 **You know, I didn't expect this but I like writing CRDL more and more. I think that yes, they are racist and have a nasty sense of humour, but no one's pure evil or pure good. They are characters I'd be interested in exploring later. Too bad they're only minor characters.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this. And as always, if you have any sort of feedback, I'd love to hear it.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

Ruby had no clue who Raven was, but wouldn't be surprised if she got a kick out of their suffering. In fact, after falling into her second crevasse and having to crawl out of the most powdery snow in existence, she was sure of it.

"Can we please take a break?" Ruby panted. The crevasse had only been about five metres deep and the snow had been soft. But the most tiring part was trying to jump out when any movement would send more fluffy snow down her hood to soak her body in freezing water.

"I'm afraid not, Ruby." Oobleck said, "The moment we slow down, our body temperatures will plummet and we will die."

Ruby groaned and started trudging through more snow. Her boots sank into the snow, making it even harder to walk. The howling wind that had made her cheeks numb also didn't help.

Zwei seemed immune to the cold and barked cheerfully. Ruby looked balefully at Zwei and said, "Some things just aren't fair."

"Could we have more of the Dust fluid?" Weiss asked. Her hair was hanging in damp clumps that flapped in the strong wind.

"Reliance on this substance is ill-advised," Oobleck said, "Especially as your Aura and body is still developing." Oobleck then stiffened and whirled around. Ruby and Weiss did the same, but didn't see anything. Oobleck stared intently at a single spot in the distance, then tilted his head back to drink more Dust fluid.

He looked again and said to Ruby and Weiss, "Few people realize that Dust fluid increases awareness of the surrounding Aura."

He extended and swung his thermos in one motion, letting a trail of fire spiral towards a mound of snow. The air around it seemed to shatter, leaving a small figure that was smiling demurely at them. Neo sauntered over to them with a thick white jacket that made her look a lot plumper than usual.

"How long were you watching us?" Weiss asked.

Neo shrugged and dumped a duffel bag that was bigger than she was in front of them. Ruby and Weiss looked to Oobleck for guidance, but his mouth was slightly open. His face was rigid and the thermos in his hand trembled.

Neo grinned and curtsied. Oobleck stepped forward until he was an arm's length away from Neo. "Neopolitan. This is a surprise."

Neo blew a kiss in his direction and kicked the duffel bag. Still moving in a stupor, Oobleck opened them and pulled out jackets in their sizes. Ruby got a red and black one that fit her well, while Weiss got a white and yellow one that came down to her knees. There wasn't one for Oobleck.

"Am I to assume that I was an unexpected factor in your plans?" Oobleck asked.

Neo nodded and Oobleck asked, "Did Cinder plan this?"

Neo turned her back on him and started walking away. Oobleck dug through the duffel bag and found ammunition for all of team RWBY and food.

Ruby and Weiss dug into cans of processed meat while trying not to let the wind blow any of it away. Oobleck seemed surprised when Ruby offered him some. "No need, girls, your bodies are nowhere near as strong as mine."

"When was the last time you ate?" Ruby asked.

"I suppose last afternoon when I got back from my mission." Oobleck said.

"Then eat." Ruby said, thrusting the can into Oobleck's chest.

"I'm fine, thank you. Save it for yourself."

Ruby pouted at him and waved the can of processed meat in his face. "Come on. You're our teacher, right? Set the right example."

Oobleck glanced at Neo and said, "I have not had a good history at doing that."

"You saved us, against Ozpin's orders." Weiss said, "I think you are setting the right example. Just eat. What harm will it do you?"

Oobleck took the food tentatively and took a bite. "Thank you."

He looked into the distance and saw Neo standing with her hands on her hips. "I think Neo is getting restless."

The three of them followed Neo, who seemed to know where the crevasses and soft snow was. She took them on a meandering path that seemed senseless, but not once did Ruby fall head-deep into a mound of snow.

They came upon shelter without warning. Neo stopped at a large mound of snow, and Ruby thought it was a huge rock. But Neo thrust her palm into the snow and blew all of it away to reveal a steel shed. Neo gestured at Ruby, Weiss and Oobleck to wait outside, then walked inside.

"Is this another one of her sadistic tricks?" Weiss asked, "Maybe we should go inside."

"I doubt Neo would trick us." Oobleck said.

"What Neo have you been keeping track of?" Weiss asked. "Why don't we-"

The snowmobile interrupted her.

It had treads as thick as Oobleck and even taller than Yang. Neo revved the huge machine and grinned as she sat in the front seat. Ruby, Weiss and Oobleck had to climb a ladder on the side in order to get on. Before any of them had gotten seated, Neo accelerated to at least eighty kilometres an hour in less than five seconds.

Weiss yelped as she tumbled into Oobleck's chest. Ruby's organs felt like they were trying to burst out of her stomach, but she was grinning despite everything. The wind on her cheeks was intensified, but despite that, she was enjoying the ride. She understood the thrill of jumping the massive vehicle over mounds of snow and spending scant seconds in the air.

Neo was looking genuinely happy, like a child being swung around by her dad. But the thought made Ruby think about her own dad, and she suddenly wanted to go back to Vale. Even if she had to tell him that uncle Qrow had lost his fingers.

After half an hour, all of Ruby's limbs felt numb, even through the thick jackets. They were passing by a jagged mountain when Oobleck said, "We are going to Atlas, are we not?"

Neo ignored him, and Oobleck turned to Ruby and Weiss. "Those were the Obsidian peaks. Atlas is close by."

"My family estate is only a day's drive from here." Weiss said. She looked longingly into the distance before shaking her head. "I'm sorry. It was a stupid thought."

"Nothing to be sorry about." Ruby said.

They looked towards Neo as the huge snowmobile slowed down. Neo got off and led them to a similar bunker. She beckoned them to go in, and revealed three smaller snowmobiles that were the size of Yang's motorcycle.

Neo looked up at Oobleck and shrugged before getting on the first snowmobile.

"More evidence that they were not expecting me." Oobleck got on one and said, "Can either of you girls drive these?"

"Dad would go nuts if I drove a motorbike," Ruby said, "And there wasn't exactly much snow in Patch."

"My family always used cars." Weiss said.

Neo sighed and beckoned for one of the girls to sit behind her. Ruby and Weiss eyed each other warily. Then Weiss went over to Neo and muttered, "You owe me for this."

"I know." Ruby whispered, so Weiss didn't hear her. She then sat behind Oobleck while Weiss gingerly tried to sit as far away from Neo as possible while still sitting on the vehicle.

The two of them sped away through the snow with muted engines. Neo and Oobleck rode side by side. Snow had stopped falling, and Ruby squinted as sunlight was reflected off the snow. They had only been riding for a few minutes when they heard a rumbling sound in the distance. Neo and Oobleck glanced at each other and Neo made a few quick gestures with her hand. The two of them split in different directions as an airship flew over them.

"How did they know we were here?" Ruby asked.

"I recognize this formation," Oobleck said, "It's one of Ironwood's design. He is simply sweeping the area. Ozpin has no doubt alerted all the headmasters."

Ruby looked over and was shocked to see that they had disappeared. "Dr. Oobleck! They're gone!"

"Worry not, Ruby." Oobleck said, "It is merely Neo's Semblance. She won't abandon us."

"How are you so sure?" Ruby muttered. Oobleck didn't answer and she kept on glancing to her left. Oobleck drove haphazardly, but it wasn't random. Ruby heard him muttering to himself.

"Left for one minute… double back for half… three rights then turn…"

Within minutes the airships had left. Ruby turned her head in every direction to try and see Weiss, but was still startled when Weiss and Neo seemed to appear right next to them.

"Were you expecting patrols?" Oobleck asked.

Neo nodded without looking at Oobleck. They drove on, and Ruby asked, "What were you muttering earlier?"

"Ironwood is thorough, but predictable." Oobleck said, "He's trained to fight masses of Grimm, not singular fugitives. I recognized the pattern, and moved to avoid the scanners."

The two of them started up a small incline they summited a small knoll and saw the fortress city of Atlas in the distance. It covered the same area as Vale did, but while Vale was sprawling houses and curved streets, Atlas was an ordered grid with skyscrapers the grey color of a thick raincloud. It was placed in the middle of a tall ridgeline of mountains that shielded it from the worst of the winter winds.

Instead of heading straight to the city, Neo started making a long detour around the mountains sheltering Atlas. Oobleck's eyes scanned the natural landmarks and said, "She's taking us to Prometheus."

"What? Is she crazy?" Weiss yelled over from the other snowmobile.

"What's Prometheus?" Ruby asked.

"It is to Atlas what Mountain Glenn is to Vale." Oobleck said, "Only it is much worse. Prometheus was an underground city built deep into the mountains. It was easily defendable from any Grimm who tried to break in. But it was also easy pickings for the Grimm already there."

Ruby gasped as Oobleck continued. "Huge Grimm had been hibernating there for decades, only to finally be woken by the first human colonies. They were more powerful than anything we had ever seen. Ten thousand had settled there, and less than ten made it out alive. All of them had gone insane."

Ruby gulped as Oobleck continued talking. His voice grew slightly slower and his eyes glazed over as if he were recalling a distant memory. "They yelled about giant snakes and wyrms under the mountains. They yelled about a snake that was as large as the earth itself. They yelled about a snake that laughed and talked as it swallowed entire buildings whole. I wonder what it must have been like."

He then turned to Ruby, who was looking down at the snow flying past her. "I'm sorry Ruby, I tend to go off on many tangents."

Ruby looked at the mountains with fear. She had always known Grimm were monsters, but it seemed like she had only touched the tip of the iceberg. She shivered as she remembered her dream of the huge black wolf and looked to Weiss for support.

The heiress smiled at her before looking forward again. The air suddenly chilled and a blizzard started blowing. Oobleck frowned and said, "This is an unpredictable weather pattern."

Neo pointed up at the sky, and everyone saw that the sun was still shining through a cloudless sky. Weiss gripped Neo and said, "I've seen this once before. It's my family!"

Neo let a frown briefly cross her face before pulling up the carefree smirk everyone knew so well. She and Oobleck accelerated over a small hill and started making their way across to the base of the mountains.

"Ruby, the entrance to Prometheus is a small metal door on the side of this hill many kilometres away." Oobleck pointed into the distance. "If we are to battle, you are to make your way there as quickly as possible."

"I'm not leaving you!" Ruby yelled. The wind was so strong that she could barely be heard. Snow fell in a thick deluge, strengthening the blizzard until Weiss and Neo disappeared. "We need to find Weiss!"

"This snow is infused with Aura." Oobleck said, "I cannot sense a thing. It is also slowly draining my own."

Ruby realized with a start that this was true. Her Aura was being leeched out of her so subtly that she hadn't noticed. "They're trying to separate us from Weiss."

"Indeed." Oobleck said, "And luck is in their favour. Weiss is not Neo's priority, and I doubt she would fight the Schnee matriarch for Weiss."

"What do you mean?"

"This Semblance belongs to Weiss' mother, Blanche Schnee." Oobleck said. "It lacks the ferocity of her father's, but is incredibly flexible."

"Why wouldn't Neo fight for Weiss? Raven brought her here." Oobleck doubled back and headed in the direction they had last seen Weiss and Neo.

"Did you notice how the jacket they got for Weiss was too big, but yours fits perfectly?" Oobleck asked. "I suspect that the jacket would fit Yang very well."

Ruby tried to ponde what Oobleck just said as he swerved the snowmobile and doubled back. He looked at the thermos in his hand and sighed. "Please do not abuse Dust Fluid like I am." He took a long swig of the fluid and looked around with dilated pupils. He was breathing heavily and his body twitched spasmodically.

"There." He thrust his finger to their right and floored the snowmobile. It shot up into the air briefly and smoke started to puff out of the vehicle. Within seconds, Ruby saw a blurred outline of a single figure standing in the center of the blizzard. She looked at Oobleck, but he didn't make any sign of slowing down. They drew even closer, and Oobleck shot out of the snowmobile so fast Ruby only noticed he was gone when his passage ruffled her hair.

Ruby watched as an explosion erupted with Oobleck's swing, blowing away the snow in the immediate vicinity. Ruby yelped and jumped off her own snowmobile a second before it crashed into the flames. She scrambled to her feet and unsheathed _Crescent Rose_ as fast as she could. Behind her, Weiss ran to her side. "Mother! Stop this, please."

"Weiss. I thought you had gotten this rebellious streak through your system." Blanche Schnee blew away the flames with an icy gale and stepped towards them. She wore a white trench coat and had blond hair that was tied in braids which flapped wildly in the icy gale.

"Madam, this is more than a rebellious streak." Oobleck's voice was so fast that Ruby barely understood him.

"You are a drug addict." Blanche wrinkled her nose. Even though Oobleck towered over her, she was somehow still able to look down her nose at him.

"Regardless of what I am, Weiss is not a simple tearaway. Ozpin himself is after Weiss."

"We are aware." Blanche said, "He contacted us and asked us to take custody of our daughter. And we were very eager to reunite with Weiss again."

"How did you even find us?" Ruby asked.

Blanche pointed at Weiss. "Schnee weapons are forged with more than Dust and metal. Our family were experts with Dust when Ozpin was young. When Weiss broke her weapon, it cried out to its bretheren." She flourished a silver whip that danced so quickly it seemed to disappear into the snow surrounding Blanche.

"Our weapons do that?" Ruby asked. Despite the situation, her mind started thinking of the possibilities. "Could we make a fusion weapon that is made of lots of different ones? Attuned to individual Auras, but also attuned to the Auras of others?" She wondered if such a thing was possible with Qrow's scythe and her own. Maybe there existed a link between her dad's weapons and Yang's.

"I have no need to divulge our secrets." Blanche said, "Weiss, come with us. You will be safe with us."

"I don't want to be safe, mother, I want to help my friend." Weiss said.

"How can you help her with a broken weapon?" Blanche asked. "You're a burden to Ruby as it is."

Weiss flinched and looked away from Ruby. Ruby yelled, "You're not a burden."

"I have no weapon." Weiss murmured.

"You can still manipulate Dust, can't you?" Ruby asked, "And I need you here. Please, don't leave."

"But I'm only dragging you down." Weiss said. "You'd need to look over your shoulder just to make sure I was safe."

"Weiss, you are more than heiress of the Schnee Dust Corporation." Blanche said, "You and Winter both are heiresses to the Schnee legacy. We can teach you how to reforge a weapon, and more. There are secrets only Schnees know."

"Don't listen to her." Ruby said, "You belong with us."

"You could get stronger with us." Blanche said, "We will do our utmost to keep you with us, but your proficiency with Dust would skyrocket. Do you want strength or not?"

"I want to be with my friends."

"And you need strength to do so." Blanche said. "Remember your duty, Weiss. Generations of secrets and knowledge ride upon your shoulders. Would you cast it all away for a single friend?"

Weiss gritted her teeth. "Life is more than duty." She fidgeted like a child trying to lie to a schoolteacher.

"Life is about choosing how to live. Life is choosing whether to take up the duty given to you or throw it away." Blanche said, "

"You are detaining us and manipulating Weiss." Oobleck interjected, "I don't see how you are giving her much choice."

"I'm her mother, not her jailer." Blanche said. "Weiss, what you do now is up to you."

She stepped back, putting Weiss in the spotlight. Weiss shrank into herself and turned to Ruby with tears clouding her wide eyes.

"Weiss, don't listen to your mother." Oobleck said. "She is infusing her aura with the snow, affecting your emotions and Aura. Listen to your instincts."

"My instincts tell me to obey my parents." Weiss said, "I don't know why I'm so weak, but I want to go with her."

"It's your mother's Semblance." Oobleck said, "You have to stay true to yourself."

"But that's the thing!" Weiss said, "I'm a Schnee, that's who I am. I'm the heiress, born and raised."

"You're more than that." Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand. "You're my friend."

"What kind of friend am I if I can't protect myself?" Weiss asked. "If I go with them, I can learn how to actually be useful."

"Weiss, if you go you may not see us again." Oobleck said, "They will imprison you for Ozpin."

"If I can't escape from my family, then I'd just be bringing you down anyways. It'd be like a test for me." Weiss tried to smile but failed miserably.

"You of all people should know you can't save students." A high pitched voice came from behind them and they all whirled around. Neo had been hiding and only just showed herself. What was more amazing was that she had spoken. Neither Weiss nor Ruby had ever heard her voice.

Oobleck's face looked like he was trying to swallow several pinecones. "Neo, I had no clue what Ozpin would do. If I could change what I had done…" He trailed off.

Neo shrugged and deliberately turned her back on Oobleck. Oobleck was good at reigning in his emotions and putting intellectual pursuits first, but for once his face betrayed clear emotion.

His face was twisted in pain and guilt as he turned to Weiss. "Your weapon does not define you. You are still strong, don't leave us."

"But I won't grow any stronger." Weiss said, "I'll just be a liability. Every team member has to do her share."

"Your mother is manipulating you." Oobleck said, "This snow is her doing, and it dampens your own Aura, replacing your will with hers. She has come all this way for you, do you think she would let you choose us?"

"I need you." Ruby said, "It doesn't matter if you have a weapon. I need you so badly." She wrapped her arms around Weiss' waist and buried her head under Weiss' chin.

"It's okay Ruby." Weiss said, "It'll be okay." Weiss' delicate hand gently ruffled Ruby's hair and turned to her mother. "I'm sorry, mother. I choose to stay with my friends."

Blanche shook her head. "Why are you so rebellious even though we give you everything. Your sister would have made the better heiress."

Ruby and Oobleck moved to protect Weiss while Neo disappeared again.

The blizzard around them intensified and the three of them felt a sea of hail pierce through their jackets. Ruby felt a chill shudder up her spine and stiffen her muscles. Her entire body moved sluggishly, and each breath she took stabbed at her throat and sinuses.

She roughly unsheathed _Crescent Rose_ and fired at Blanche, who disappeared into the hail and snow. Oobleck fired several streaks of fire in multiple directions, but this time he wasn't able to disperse the snow around them. A silvery whip latched onto his thermos and almost yanked it out of his grip. Oobleck stumbled but grabbed onto the whip. He disappeared into the snow, leaving Weiss and Ruby standing back to back.

Weiss scattered a vial of Dust into the air and set a force glyph below Ruby. It was a good choice. Elemental Dust manipulation would be useless against her mother, who had taught her most of her techniques.

The two of them shot through the air, hoping to clear the blizzard and fight on their own terms.

" _Foolishness."_ Blanche's voice seemed to resonate from every single snowflake. The storm rose with them and the two girls were flying blindly through the snow. Suddenly Ruby felt searing pain as Blanche's whip split her skin and clothes. She frantically swung her scythe, but only slashed at the wind.

She yelled as Blanche struck at her fingers. She almost dropped _Crescent Rose_ as she tumbled back to the ground. Blanche's Semblance had caused a snowdrift to form beneath them, which cushioned her fall. She staggered to her feet, but felt her strength draining. Cold water dig into her skin and weighed her down, and she crashed back down into the snow.

Ruby clawed at the snow, but felt herself sinking deeper and deeper into the snow. She felt it pressing at her, forcing her eyes shut and her muscles to stiffen.

"Weiss." She croaked with an outstretched hand. She was then pulled further into a snow drift and sank into unconsciousness.

* * *

Blake had spent many hours thinking of what Adam would say to her when they were reunited. _When,_ not if, because they were both fighters, and standing for opposite causes. She knew they would meet again at the battlefield.

Yet Adam had helped her. She had been darting between Dove and Lark, running to the top of the buildings around her, when the Bullheads pursuing her had crashed into the streets next to her. She, Lark and Dove didn't take their eyes off each other, but all of their minds were racing, trying to find the source of the sudden destruction.

The sources made themselves evident as Adam Taurus and two other Faunuses jumped between Dove and Lark. Adam looked intimidating as ever as his hand fingered the sheath that held his crimson sword, but Blake could see him sweat from the exertion of cutting down three Bullheads in quick succession.

"Leave. Now." Adam said.

"We're Hunters." Dove replied. No further explanation was needed. They were soldiers in a war. Soldiers never ran unless ordered to. Dove and Lark ran towards the four Faunuses, firing the first preliminary shots.

"Lumin, Cogs, get Blake away!" Adam said as he sprang forward.

Someone more adept with Aura manipulation would be able to sense the power Adam was infusing into his sword, but Dove and Lark were caught completely off guard. A crimson light flashed, and Lark's knives shattered. Dove stumbled back, clutching a huge gash in his armor.

Meanwhile, Blake pushed away the Faunuses trying to lead her from the fight. "I need to find Yang."

"There's no time." A man with hedgehog spines over his arms tried to grab onto Blake. "You need to come with Lumin and me."

As he spoke, Adam had sheathed his sword again and was talking to Dove and Lark. "I don't want to kill misguided children. Go away."

"We're Hunters." Lark stood in front of Dove, who was still kneeling on the ground, bleeding from a wound in his shoulder. "We won't be driven away by dirty animals."

"So be it." Adam stepped forward and gathered more Aura into his sword. But Blake dashed in front of him and held out her arms. "They're defeated. Are you slaughterers now?"

Adam stared at Blake and said, "Your compassion will kill you one day."

Blake held Adam's gaze and narrowed her eyes.

Adam shook his head. "You've grown." He turned to Lumin and Cogs. "Let's go. Scorpio has Yang."

Blake reluctantly followed Adam. She had never worked with the notorious scorpion Faunus, but she knew of Scorpio's reputation. She, along with Adam and and three other Faunuses called the Zodiacs ruled the White Fang. If Scorpio was sent to retrieve Yang, Blake was confident she would succeed.

She and the other Faunuses jumped down to street level and descended into the sewers. They ran for several minutes and emerged in a warehouse where two dozen Faunuses in White Fang uniform were training.

"Is this all that's left?" Blake asked. When she had belonged to the White Fang, there had been a small army at the beck and call of the Zodiacs.

"In Vale, yes." Adam said. "We're in the process of moving our base of operations."

Blake wondered if it was because most of the White Fang had ben apprehended during the breach, or if there was another reason. Adam pulled out his scroll and started dialling. "Scorpio should be here by now."

He waited with his scroll to his ear while he paced back and forth. Finally, someone picked up.

"Liuetenant." Adam said, "Where are you?"

There was a pause where Adam narrowed his eyes. "I understand. Meet us in Haven."

He turned off his scroll and turned to Blake. "Scorpio and Lieutenant are on the run. Goodwitch intercepted them, and couldn't return here and lose her."

"So where are they?" Blake asked.

"They didn't give away their position." Adam said, "But we meet at Haven."

"Why Haven?" Blake wasn't complaining. She had briefly gotten into contact with Sun while they were still at Beacon, and he had mentioned tension between humans and Faunuses rising due to the Vytal Festival being cancelled and stringent curfews being imposed.

"Because it's in the best interest of the White Fang." Adam turned away and beckoned to Blake. "Let's go, it's a long way to Haven."

Blake drew back. All of this was happening too fast. "What about Ruby and Weiss? We still haven't found them."

"Raven's taken care of them." Adam said.

"What? Yang's mom?"

"I know her as Raven Branwen." Adam said, "I don't care about her family."

"I can't just run from my team." Blake said.

"But you ran away so easily from your former family. Don't see why this is so different." A female walked through the door with a carefree sashay and twitching cat ears. But unlike Blake, she had a tail and light fur on her arms and legs.

"Gemini." Blake had worked with Jasmine Gemini a few times, and had even trained her Semblance with the lynx Faunus. She was flippant and unpredictable, and was the type to slaughter humans and robots while giggling.

"Well?" Gemini cocked her head, "You've always run from one master to another, what's so different about these Hunters?"

"They're good people." Blake said. "Finding them is my utmost priority."

"Raven will take care of them. Weren't you listening to Taurus?"

"Like she took care of Yang? I'm supposed to trust someone I've never met?"

"You're supposed to trust us." Adam interrupted Gemini and gestured her to step away. "Jasmine, go prepare the rest of our troops to move."

"You don't have a good track record for trust." Blake said as Gemini walked out the door.

"Our intentions were always clear." Adam said, "It was you who betrayed us."

"Don't try and pin our history on me." Blake said, "What we did was wrong. You never understood that."

"Whether or not we were right, my point is that we have always been honest with our goals." Adam said, "We have never turned our back on our ideals. We've been more honest with you than humans ever were. So why don't you trust us?"

"You're wrong." Blake said, "My team has always been honest with me."

Adam still had his mask on, but Blake knew his eyes were narrowed. " If you wanted to be a child with playmates, you shouldn't have joined us in the first place."

"You were the one who recruited me." Blake said.

"And you always knew what our purpose was." Adam said, "You were always free to choose your path, so why do you treat us like sneaks and con men."

"Maybe because you associated yourself with sneaks and con men." Blake said, "The Adam I knew would never associate himself with people like Torchwick."

"We do what we need to." Adam said, "We choose our own paths, just as you are free to choose yours. If I wanted to imprison you I would have done so that day you ran from me."

And what if I run away now?" Blake's fingers drifted over to _Gambol Shroud_.

"Did I hunt you down the last time? I've never forced you to do anything."

"I can't trust Raven, and I can't trust Scorpio." Blake said, "I need to know my friends are okay."

"Both of them would compromise their position to Ozpin if they were to contact us." Adam said. "They ensure the safety of your team by being discrete. You'll see them when you arrive at Haven."

Blake clenched her fists. "I need to think this over."

"Do you want a time out, kid?" Gemini had returned.

"Leave her be." Adam started walking towards the door Gemini was holding open for him. "Our supplies are in the door at the end of the corridor. We leave in an hour."

The door slammed shut, and the echo faded to silence.

Blake sat with her knees pulled up against her chest and closed her eyes. For a moment it was as if she was a girl back in the orphanage after her parents had died. She had expected to dwell on this after she had brought Yang back to the orphanage this very morning.

But expectation didn't blunt the pain.

She could barely remember her real parents, and the dog Faunus that had taken care of the children had been her mom as she had grown up. She and the other Faunus children played hide and seek in their free time when their mom wasn't teaching them schoolwork. She and her foster siblings would go to the White Fang rallies. Back when the sigil of the White Fang had been a noble lion instead of a bloody wolf, she and thousands of other Faunuses would yell at human ears that wouldn't listen.

She knew the dangers. She knew them when one of her sisters didn't come back one night and her mom told them not to look for her. She knew them when one of her brothers limped back with bruises littered over his torso. She knew them when her mom told them all not to go near the human districts.

But she didn't truly understand them until she ran from the huge fire that had followed a violent rally. She didn't understand the burden of living until she had huddled in one of the White Fang gathering halls waiting for siblings that wouldn't come.

Then she learnt the burden of hating when she met Adam.

" _What are you doing here?"_ She had never known why Adam had come to that gathering hall, but she first met Adam as a huddling child looking up at a giant hero.

Maybe some things never changed.

She hadn't answered Adam's question at first, but he sat down next to her and said, _"It's a terrible thing to lose your home."_

" _How did you know?"_

" _It leaves an unseen mark."_ Adam paused, then said, _"How do you feel?"_

" _Sad."_

" _Don't. Feel angry. Make sure this doesn't happen again."_

" _Why are you doing this?"_ Blake asked, _"I don't know you."_

" _But I know you."_ Adam said, _"I know a lost Faunus who needs a home. I know that humans have done wrong and need to be punished."_

Blake felt disgusted with her past self. She tried to push away the memory of her hatred. But she had been ten when she had learnt the burden of living and the burden of hatred, and eleven when she had learnt the burden of killing.

And here she was at eighteen, still a confused little girl who needed Adam to tell her what to do. She was still the ten year old girl that ran away. She had run for so long that even when there was something she wanted, she didn't know where to go.

She didn't want to follow Adam anymore. She didn't want to follow anyone but herself in her friends. But in order to do that, she needed to grow stronger, and to do that she needed Adam.

By the next morning, every White Fang member in Vale had disappeared.

* * *

 **This one took a while to write. Hope everyone still remembers what was happening.**

 **And the next chapter will take an even longer time to get out. I'm trying to write for NaNoWriMo, and that'll put Ashes on hold.**

 **Anyways, as usual, tell me your thoughts on this chapter. What first impressions it left and all that. Hope you enjoyed reading this!**

 **Thanks!**


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